“The Creeps” is a series of miniature hair pieces made with the artist’s own hair. Shampooed, blow-dried, straighten, dyed, brushed and sprayed; these avatars play with the social conventions of gender, race or status associated to hairstyles, somehow directing a queer critique to the current economy of self representation.

“Half human and plastic, the complicated identity of each piece is entangled with social meaning, symbolic associations and genetic makeup.” – Dan Souza

BIO:

Isaac Contreras is an artist working primarily with sculpture, image making and writing. He investigates the construction of meaning and social expectations associated with images and objects, particularly those found in liminal spaces or in states that imply transition, cultural contact and alterity.

His artistic practice is invested in manual labour and motivated by research, most notably from the standing point of queer studies and decolonial thought. With his work, he seeks to present the in-betweenness as a possibility of emancipation.

He holds an MFA from Haute École d’art et de Design de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland (2017); has been a fellow of Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes & PECDA, Mexico (2010-2011) and artist in residence at Triangle France Marseille, France (2014), Fondazione Ratti, Como, Italy (2017) and Stadtgalerie Bern, Switzerland (2020).

International exhibitions include the 3rd Poly/Graphic Triennial of San Juan (Arsenal, Puerto Rico, 2012); Sarai Reader 9: The Exhibition (Devi Art Foundation, India, 2013), Lulennial: A Slight Gestuary (Lulú, Mexico, 2015), Bourses Ville de Genève (Centre d’art Contemporain, Switzerland, 2017) and Abusos de las formas (Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico, 2020).

Hailed from Ciudad Constitución, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Currently based in Mexico City.