As August heat settled over Wichita, overstaying its welcome like a bad houseguest, I found refuge at the Wichita Art Museum for an artist talk by Armando Minjarez Monarrez.
Armando is a Mexican artist based in Wichita and an active member of the city’s creative community. I have long admired his work and have even hosted him, along with fellow artists, for pizza with my family in my backyard.
His first solo museum exhibition, “En Cuerpo Presente,” is a feast for the senses. As you enter, the installation feels like a bodega — or a tienda de la esquina — with shiny, saturated, brightly colored objects arranged for your consumption.
One installation, “Tzompantli Deluxe,” evokes the Mesoamerican wooden racks of human skulls displayed as symbols of power and spectacle. Here, cast self-portraits form a hierarchy. Faces decorated with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos juxtaposed with pink, concha-like pan dulce become increasingly “deluxe,” each more consumable than the last.
Elsewhere, Minjarez pairs classical ceramic forms with familiar Mexican commodities. Osito Bimbo appears alongside a vessel referencing the ancient shaft-tomb ceramics of Jalisco. Oversized Vero Manita suckers gleam with a red candy finish in “Manitas de la Suerte.” A chocolate corazón, made from ceramics and steel, titled “Yolo,” gets to the heart of the exhibition.
After 2 decades in food and hospitality, I recognize the shared act of using our hands to transform materials with intention.
Minjarez blends identity, cultural symbolism, humor, and craft into something playful yet powerful.
