This exhibition invites us to imagine a time when insects, birds and all animals are precious to humanity. These works serve as rituals of appreciation and spiritual connection with the system of life and energies that surround us. Not so long ago, ancient civilizations would venerate animals and the forces of nature, living a life more in balance with the ecosystem. Combining ancestral knowledge and artmaking techniques such as ceramics and drawing, along with contemporary media such as digital audio or digital photography, Future Rituals asks the viewer to take step back, slow down, and listen to the insects, the birds, and the spirit.
The project started as a study of the urban ecology in San Diego and its canyons, combining myth with science and art. Consultations with biologists and botanists have taken place throughout the evolution of this project since it was first exhibited at San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery in 2023, curated by Alessandra Moctezuma.
This project continues to evolve as a search for a balance, offering a chance to escape the cycle of mass production, capital, and productivity, diving into the organic connections that we still have with our environment.
On view: Oceanside Museum of Art, October 2025 – March 2026
Works:
Future Ritual 1- to Remember the Birds when They no Longer Exist
5.1 digital audio channel composition, mid fire ceramics (hand built by Francisco)
Futurer Ritual 2 – To heal the Pollinators from Pesticide Poisoning
Two-channel video installation, hand built custom lens made from recovered glass + Three drawings that were left outside for weeks, affected by the elements, insects, coyotes, cats, oxides, pigments and charcoal.
Talismanes – Hand built ceramics, wood + stone engravings, objects
“Plumario” – Cenzontle (mockingbird) feathers and ceramics
Cenzontle – Painting, charcoal on Japanese paper
