Francisco Esnayra

One of Mexico’s most significant emerging artists, Francisco Esnayra uses sculpture to probe the human psyche, to explore the link between mind and soul, to lay bare the full repertoire of sentiments that inhabit our every day.

Born in Chihuahua, Esnayra studied Fine Arts at the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua and the Universidad Autónoma de México. In 2013 he also completed the sculpture workshop at the Washington University Center in Rome. Drawing on classical sculpture, Freudian psychoanalysis and Messerschmidt’s character heads, along with commonplace objects such as teddy bears or pill capsules, Esnayra produces compelling portrayals of human emotion, rich in texture and colour. His figures address the subjectivity with which we relate to others, the role of medicines in our mental and physical wellbeing or the basic human need for introspection.

In 2008, Esnayra received a special mention in the Chihuahua Prize, and in 2010 came first in the contemporary sculpture category of Mexico’s National Ceramics Award. His work has been exhibited in Mexico, USA and UK, was featured in Boarder Crossings (2014) at the Art Institute of Chicago, curated by the National Museum of Mexican Art, and forms part of the permanent collection at the Pantaleón Panduro Museum in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco.