The Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey presents Pico y elote, the first retrospective in Mexico of the artist Damián Ortega, considered one of the most important Mexican figures on the international art scene. Over the course of his career spanning more than three decades, Ortega has developed an artistic practice that combines philosophy, humor, and the exploration of space, inviting the public to activate his works.

Damián Ortega: Pico y elote brings together an important selection of his work spanning three decades to demonstrate the close dialogue his work has with the construction of a national culture. It focuses on two concepts that function as metaphors throughout the exhibition. On the one hand, cultivation and harvest, and on the other, the processes of industrialization. Ortega thoughtfully contrasts these concepts to tell an alternative story of the Mayan creation myth—where corn is the origin of humanity—to arrive at the globalized postindustrial era and the chaos caused by the longed-for progress. The concepts articulate the notions of energy, transformation, ecosystem, and technology, the latter understood as a set of knowledge, instruments, and technical resources that man has implemented to influence the world. Humor influenced by social satire permeates his work, as the artist began his career as a political cartoonist.

Curated by José Esparza Chong Cuy, the exhibition is organized in a non-chronological layout with an introduction and three conceptual sections: Harvest, Assemble, and Collapse, which suggest the artist’s broad vision.