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 work features an acrylic transfer onto two sheets of corrugated steel, depicting a balloon vendor at the Huey Atlixcayotl festival in Atlixco, Puebla. The vibrant scene, with its array of colorful balloons, is reminiscent of my childhood in Mexico, evoking memories of everyday sights that have become deeply ingrained in my sense of home. These seemingly mundane moments take on new significance in the context of migration.  The colorful display of balloons, despite evolving designs influenced by American pop culture, has been (and remains) a staple of public spaces in Mexico since my parents were kids, symbolizing a continuity of cultural memory amidst change. This piece explores the tension between nostalgia and identity, highlighting how ordinary sights—like balloon vendors—become cherished memories that shape our understanding of home and belonging, sights that endure even as they evolve under the influence of globalization and cultural shifts.

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.