The Mexican artist explores sculpture as a physical and social practice, ranging from stone carving to large-scale participatory projects – always aiming for transformation.
Pedro Reyes distinguishes between classical approaches to sculpture and what he calls “social sculpture” – a form of sculpture in which the material is a social context, and part of it is the participation of different social actors.
Trained in architecture, Pedro Reyes developed a belief in art’s functionality: “I have wanted art to be used and to have a measure of effectiveness that is not purely aesthetic.” Influenced by Joseph Beuys and by Mexico’s tradition of socially committed art, he sees sculpture as a way to bridge material, community, and imagination: “What you do in sculpture is to somehow take matter and try to make a transmission of spiritual energy into matter, and then that object should be able to irradiate that energy back to the viewer.”
One of his best-known projects, Palas por Pistolas (Shovels for Guns) collected 1.500 donated guns, melted them down into 1.500 shovels, and used them to plant 1.500 trees. The project is a critical comment on gun violence in Mexico. To Pedro Reyes, the project is twofold, entailing “not only a physical transformation of the metal, but also a psychological transformation and hopefully a social transformation – turning something that is an agent of death into an agent of life.”
At once ancient and experimental, Pedro Reyes’ practice merges mysticism with social engagement. He suggests sculpture is a form of play and a tool for reimagining the world: “Art is not fiction, but it’s not reality. It’s something in between. It’s like a surplus reality”.
Pedro Reyes (b. 1972, Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican sculptor known for projects that merge art, activism, architecture, and craft. He studied architecture at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City. His work has been shown in established institutions internationally, including at the Guggenheim Museum (New York), the Whitechapel Gallery (London), and the Museo Tamayo (Mexico City) ICA (Miami), and MAAT, (Lisbon). He lives and works in Mexico City.
Pedro Reyes was interviewed by Nanna Rebekka in his studio and house in Mexico City in June 2025.
Editor and producer: Nanna Rebekka
Camera: Jarl Therkelsen Kaldan
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2025
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