an unlikely inventory: dialogues with surrealism

French poet André Breton first wrote about Surrealism in 1924, conceiving it as an artistic and political movement where artists, inspired by Freudian psychoanalytic theories, sought to release the imaginative capacity of the unconscious. By rejecting rational perceptions of the world through art and literature, artists embraced unlikely realities often reserved for dreams. By the time Breton visited Mexico in 1938, he recognized that the movement transcended European borders, controversially declaring Mexico “the utmost surrealist place par excellence […] Never before have I felt how reality so splendidly fulfills the promises of dreams.” Despite this oversimplification and often misrepresentation of art from Mexico as inherently surreal, the reverberations of the movement continue to influence the art produced today. 

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first Surrealist Manifesto, kurimanzutto mines the gallery’s inventory to locate a selection of works created over the past three decades that either draw directly from Surrealist practices or echo its legacy. These artists are positioned alongside historical precursors, including Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Wolfgang Paalen, two artists who participated in the 1940 International Surrealism Exhibition at Galería de Arte Mexicano, the first exhibition devoted to Surrealism in Mexico. Whether the artists featured in this Unlikely Inventory embrace, reject, or remain indifferent to the movement, the works on view evoke themes and techniques championed by Surrealists, inviting viewers to consider the enduring impact of Surrealism in Mexico and beyond.

Artists: Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Carlos Amorales, Felipe Baeza, Iñaki Bonillas, Miguel Calderón, Jimmie Durham, Julio Galán, Roberto Gil de Montes, Kati Horna, Gabriel Kuri, Dr. Lakra, Sarah Lucas, Wolfgang Paalen & Bárbara Sánchez-Kane