With support from the Musagetes Fund, the Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG) launched the art exhibition, Entrelazados, by Guatemala-Mexican-American artist Justin Favela in 2024. This was Favela’s first solo show in Canada and it included additional artist and curator led-programing. The exhibition featured Favela’s iconic bright, piñata-style artworks in AGG’s main exhibition space in their first floor gallery. The work blended humour, cultural stories, and personal history in a style that was both accessible and welcoming for visitors. AGG’s exhibition and program encouraged the Latin American and Latinx communities in Guelph and beyond to connect with heritage and was so popular that what was meant to be a three month show doubled a six month community experience!
The show’s title, Entrelazados, means “intertwined” in Spanish which reflects the themes in Favela’s work: identity, memory, and culture all together. Known for turning everyday objects and pop culture into sculptural, colourful, meaningful art, Favela brings a queer, Latinx perspective to everything he creates. This exhibition continued ideas from AGG’s earlier show, What Remains, which explored topics like migration, belonging, and heritage.
The exhibition became a space for conversation, learning, and creativity. AGG hosted artist talks, bilingual workshops, and school visits, including tours from local Latinx groups and schools. One particularly powerful artwork, Jesús es mi Pastor, was based on a childhood drawing Favela’s grandmother had received. The artist had turned this drawing into a bold, joyful wall piece that celebrated family and culture.
The extension of the programing and exhibition’s length was the result of unexpectedly high attendance, including from Indigenous and newcomer communities, helped the show reach even more people. Favela also worked with local youth and artists to create new pieces specific to Guelph and the gallery. A video by artist Mango Alvarado captured emotional reactions from Latinx visitors, including Favela himself, during the opening. The Musagetes Fund helped make it possible for AGG to bring this international artist to our city, while creating a space where people could feel seen, heard, and inspired.