This original artwork is a 1 of 1 acrylic photo transfer onto two sheets of corrugated metal. It is from my series Mining For Some Sort of Continuity. A study of the fleeting nature of memories, this series focuses on how personal archives construct a mobile, personal, and ephemeral archive that is fundamental to the construction of diasporic identities. This piece, transferred onto two sheets of corrugated steel, captures a moment from a Lucha Libre fight in my hometown of Cholula, Puebla, focusing on the spectators rather than the wrestlers. The scene is emblematic of the cultural moments I sought to document on my return to Mexico—events I never experienced firsthand but knew through my parents' stories. Despite having lived in my hometown for ten years, speaking the language fluently and being familiar with my culture, I realized nonetheless that my position was that of an observer, an outsider documenting a community I was no longer entirely a part of, yet yearned to find commonality with. This artwork reflects my exploration of how cultural identity is constructed, reconstructed, and preserved through collective experiences, highlighting the tension between being an insider and an outsider in one’s own homeland.

Ernesto Cabral de Luna

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Ernesto Cabral de Luna is a Mexican lens-based artist working in Toronto. Utilizing both analog and digital processes, he merges experimental techniques with sculpture and installation, printing onto unconventional and manipulated surfaces to emphasize the multi-dimensionality and materiality of the image. His work centers around altering perception through image manipulation – providing new ways to experience recognizable imagery in unconventional manners and outside of their intended purpose. Ernesto's practice is interested in the fragmentary nature of memory, both individual and collective - and constantly seeks new ways to manipulate these alternative histories he is creating. Ernesto received his BFA in photography from OCAD University in 2024, where he received the 2024 Barbara Astman Photography Award and the 2021 Wendy Coburn Art and Social Change Scholarship. A recipient of the 2024 Gallery44 Residency Award and the 2024 Partners in Art's Artist-Direct Grant, Ernesto has exhibited at Patel Brown, Ignite Gallery, Ada Slaight, Xpace Cultural Center, and Abbozzo Gallery. Ernesto was selected for the Toronto Raptors’ 2022 Welcome Toronto Creators Program. He has worked closely with notable companies such as The Toronto Raptors, Coors Light and Walmart Canada. In summer 2024, he was commissioned for a public mural by Luminato Festival at Finch Station, as well as a public billboard outside Artscape Youngplace for Critical Distance Centre for Curators. His work is a part of Casey House Foundation's 2024 Art with Heart auction. Ernesto’s thesis project has been supported through funding by OCAD’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists, The Ontario Arts Council and Partners in Art Canada.