Artist in Residence | Guillermo Estrada

Almendroides, Aliens & Indígenas delves into the universe of border-based artist Guillermo Estrada, guided by his fictional character, Rancho Shampoo. The exhibition explores the use of a substance called Almendroide—a biological “cookie” that holds a significant ceremonial role within this universe as a medium for connecting with other dimensions. The show examines notions of a person’s paranormal/residential/alien status, the origins of a native person from a specific territory, and how we engage with our personal narratives to bridge realities and dimensions. These ideas unfold through a range of artistic media, including installations, video, drawings, and sculpture.

During his MFA studies at UC San Diego, Estrada coined the concept of aliendigenismo, a term combining “alien” and “indigenous.” It refers to “a way or channel used to move from one place to another.” From this idea, the term aliendígena emerges to describe a person capable of crossing natural, man-made, spiritual, cosmic, and underworld barriers. Drawing from Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of autohistoria, Estrada presents this exhibition as a means of offering insight into the world of Rancho Shampoo.

Estrada draws from his own lived experiences, fictionalizing them to construct a universe that others can enter and inhabit. To understand his work, one must recognize that three figures coexist within one person: Guillermo Estrada, Memo Navajas, and Rancho Shampoo. Their intertwined identities invite viewers to explore the boundaries between self and other, territory and belonging, story and dimension.

The bridge (boundary between the world you’ve just left and the one ahead) is both a barrier and a point of transformation. – Gloria E. Anzaldúa

Visit guillermoestrada.com to learn more about the artist’s practice.