Teresa Margolles

Contemporary Mexican artist Teresa Margolles and the aesthetics of violence

In Mexico, a country that daily faces the brutal reality of femicide, forced migration, institutional violence and social marginalization, Margolles' work acquires an urgent relevance.
Her artistic approach, which delves into the raw and tangible materiality of trauma, enables the public to directly confront realities that are usually invisible or silenced. The strength of her proposals lies precisely in this ability to transfer structural violence to the space of aesthetic contemplation, forcing the viewer to confront the ethical and emotional complexity of contemporary violence.
The book features works dating from 2004 until today. These range from large installation, including sound installation, mixed media works, a collaborative work with embroidered fabric, and performative works.

Teresa Margolles (b. 1963, Culiacán, Mexico) is a conceptual artist whose work examines the social and political dimensions of death, violence, and mourning in Latin America. Trained in forensic medicine and art, she draws from her experience working in morgues, incorporating materials such as body fluids, fabrics, and forensic remnants into installations, videos, and performances. Her practice highlights the impact of systemic violence on marginalized communities, especially in Mexico. For Margolles, the morgue reflects society itself: a site where structural inequality and brutality become visible. Through her work, she invites viewers to confront the realities often hidden from public view.