Featured Artist: Chacalall

Gabriel, or Chacalall, is a “citizen of the great Ciudad de México” and his artwork reflects the diverse culture and vibrant legends of his home. Although his colorful designs touch on the traditional artwork of the region, his style also embraces a modern thread which gives an unexpected insight into his personal view of the world.

Although Chacalall’s inspiration stems from the Aztec people and their imaginative culture, he also shares that plants are an important element of both his artwork and his philosophy in life. He believes that plants are the “true masters of the universe” because they can teach us about the diversity of living things, and they can even make us question our “own complexity” in the world. In the future, he hopes his artwork is able to encompass more plants to make the art “alive”, while also being able to integrate more bizarre elements like robots, animals, or grand structures to give the art a truly futuristic element.

He teases that his style, if edible, would be the traditional Aztecan gusano blanco de maguey. The Mexican delicacy — or the caterpillar that lives in the Agave plant — is not for the faint of heart. He confesses that you must be brave to enjoy his art, but that the “reward is huge.”

Chacalall jokes that he’s a “specialist on finding a way to work less and travel more” but that he always takes advantage of the opportunity to work with creative people. However, he admits that his “body is an alarm for when I have to stop something” and when he is pushing himself — either in his art or his personal life — too hard. However, he believes there is no rest for a true artist. In fact, his artwork will only ever feel complete when he is “dead” because there is “always a possibility to do something over.”