Marcus Zúñiga (b. 1990, Silver City, New Mexico) is an artist working in sculpture and time-based media. Zúñiga was raised among the rural communities of Southern New Mexico and is currently based in Los Angeles. His practice references research drawn from Mesoamerican cosmologies, astrophysics, curanderismo, and his family genealogy. Using the primary material of light, his works interact with their environment to embody the space between human and cosmic bodies. They deconstruct the apparatus of the modern telescope to center the subjectivity of the cosmos through multicultural perception. Often, Zúñiga develops land-based preliminary works in relation to his installations. Zúñiga received his BFA from the University of New Mexico and MFA from Art Center College of Design. His work has been featured in curated exhibitions at Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles; Benito Greene Arte Público, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; 516 Arts, Albuquerque; MexiCali Biennial at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture of the Riverside Art Museum; Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena; and Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, Claremont. His writings have been published in La Sección Amarilla de la Migración by UTEP Rubin Center and Azul Arena, Chamisa by UNM Southwest Hispanic Research Institute, and his self published artist book gila emplacement. Zúñiga was a featured speaker for Leonardo / ISAST (International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology) at SciArt Santa Fe.
Publications / links:
Marcus Zúñiga in Open Sky at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College. 2024.
Marcus Zúñiga Artist Talk. 516 Arts. 2022.
“Pasadena Artcenter Graduate creates tribute installation to honor great-great-grandmother using mirrors and light.” Pasadena Now. 2022.
“al norte.” La Sección Amarilla de la Migración. Azul Arena. 2022.
“aztlán del sol.” Chamisa. UNM Southwest Hispanic Research Institute. 2021.
“Locating the Cosmic Spirit through Emplacement”, Philosophical Research Society. 23 Oct 2020.
“Relearning the Cosmos through a Multicultural Consciousness”, LASER Talk, Leonardo / ISAST. 25 Sept 2020.
Artist book: gila emplacement. Texts by Alicia Inez Guzmán, Zachary Korol-Gold, Marcus Zúñiga. 2020.
“A New Way to See the Night Sky.” KUNM/NPR. 2 Jun 2017.
“Critical Reflection: Marcus Zúñiga: Ya Veo.” Southwest Contemporary. 1 Jun 2017.
“Jupiter Rising: New Media Artist Marcus Zúñiga.” Pasatiempo. Santa Fe New Mexican. 14 Apr 2017.
Visual Art Source. 2017.
Contact: marcuszuniga.studio@gmail.com
Instagram: @marcuszunigaofficial