\u201cThere was this feeling of disrespect towards Mexican culture. Even though it’s consumed heavily, there’s still this feeling of inferiority imposed upon it, so my thought was to take the pi\u00f1ata into these realms where it’s been historically excluded,\u201d Benavidez told LAist. \u201cI hope when people see these pieces that it just expands the breadth of what Mexican culture is, what Mexican culture can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exhibition view of “Bosch Beasts”<\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Paul Salveson<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Roberto Benavidez and Perrotin<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
Exhibition view of “Bosch Beasts”<\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Paul Salveson<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Roberto Benavidez and Perrotin<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard not to smile when you\u2019re surrounded by the brightly colored, whimsical world that has taken over the gallery. But there\u2019s a darkness underneath these creatures, as well, which speaks to the artist\u2019s own struggles growing up as a self-described \u201chalf-breed, South Texan queer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like creatures that are kind of cute but eerie,\u201d he said. \u201cI grew up Catholic and gay, so there was this ever-present idea of sin.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pi\u00f1ata became the medium where Benavidez brought together these two worlds \u2014 handcrafting each stage of these sculptures using traditional pi\u00f1ata processes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“Bosch Beast No. 14,” 2025<\/p>\n
(<\/p>\n
Paul Salveson<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
Courtesy Roberto Benavidez and Perrotin<\/p>\n
)<\/p>\n
Benavidez got his start in the art world after moving to Los Angeles and taking painting and drawing classes at Pasadena Community College while working full time. He experimented across different materials, focusing on bronze casting and sculpture before turning his focus to pi\u00f1atas. They were the perfect medium for Bosch\u2019s creatures to come to life \u2014 and his connection to Bosch is deep-seated. \u201cWhen I grew up, there was no internet, I grew up in the sticks, but we had a set of encyclopedias. The imagery of the ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ has always been in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n