Desert Dreams, 2013

Against a radiant background—bands of brown, yellow, red, and blue brilliantly evoke a desert sunset—a carefully rendered Mexican Talavera vase floats in midair. Drifting, graffiti-like drawings of mushrooms and marijuana leaves not only instill the print with a psychedelic mood, but they also underline the drug cartel-related imagery of the vessel; there, traditional blue-and-white decorative motifs intermingle with drug symbols (the goat connotates heroin, for example). Through the combination of these elements, the colors, symbols, and subjects, artist Eduardo Sarabia offers subtle yet piercing commentary on contemporary Mexico. 

This special Artspace edition was produced in support of Sarabia’s 2014 exhibition Moctezuma’s Revenge, held at the ASU Art Museum.

A constant theme in Eduardo Sarabia’s work has been his interest in the relationship between his cultural roots and his American identity. Drawing inspiration from the unique and complex zone that divides Mexico from the United States, Sarabia stages intricate scenes infused with light romanticism, humor, and a sense of absurdity. From his liminal point of view, Sarabia exposes clichés about Mexican culture in order to question the imaginary borders demarcated by cultural stereotypes.

Sarabia is best known for his series of hand-painted ceramic vessels that at first glance are indistinguishable from the blue-and-white Talavera vases that tourists buy as souvenirs. However, rather than traditional floral and geometric motifs, these vases boast modern hieroglyphs of Mexican and Norteño drug culture- marijuana leaves, guns, skulls, pin-up models, bottles of liquor, packs of cigarettes, and animals that symbolize specific drugs: the rooster, marijuana; the goat, heroin; and the parrot, cocaine. Sarabia makes reference not just to a physical border, but to a dividing line in the identity of one who feels at once familiar and distant from his or her cultural heritage.

His work has been shown at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 2nd Moscow Biennale, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Istanbul Biennial, LA Louver, New Museum of Contemporary Art and The 51st Venice Biennale amongst others.

All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly and sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.

All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.

All of our frames come with picture quality .090 mm plexiglass, which blocks 66% of UV to prevent color fading from exposure to light, keeping your art protected for years to come. It is now considered the industry standard for artists, museums and galleries throughout the world.

For images up to 30" x 40"

• 1 1/4” wide, 3/4” deep, with a 2 1/2” wide mat.
• We generally leave 1/4” - 1/2” of paper showing around the image, to accommodate signatures and for visual appeal.

For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40" please contact an Artspace advisor for a custom quote.

Our art editions ship in 7 to 10 business days from New York.

Our framed art editions ship in 11 to 14 business days from New York.

This work is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt of delivery.

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