Luis Sahagun

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Luis Sahagun LUIS SAHAGUN (b. 1982, Guadalajara, Mexico) is a multi-disciplinary artist transforming art into a my

Really excited to see my writing and thoughts on the aesthetics of Curanderismo making their way to Sweden! It means so ...
09/20/2026

Really excited to see my writing and thoughts on the aesthetics of Curanderismo making their way to Sweden! It means so much to see my ideas, rooted in my practice, finding new homes and reaching new audiences. ❤️

“Institutions decide what is worthy of collection, what enters the archive, what becomes culture under glass. The body knows this gaze well. It has been classified, studied, racialized, aestheticized, and made into artifacts. But beyond being objectified, the body is also an active site of accumulation. Like museums, we create our own invisible vitrines. We place certain memories on display, revisit them, organize them into meaning, while others are stored away, dimly lit, roaming within our consciousness. If museums curate collections, what curates us?”

— Excerpt from my newly published text, Curanderismo’s Aesthetics — The Body as Display Case.

A big thank you to Marcus Modh for the invitation and to for making space for this work!

One of the latest drawings to leave the studio.Made as a commission.Grateful it found a home.
08/06/2026

One of the latest drawings to leave the studio.

Made as a commission.
Grateful it found a home.

Instructions for Soul Searching: Facing the SouthDavidson College | 2026A ceremonial performance grounded in curanderism...
04/18/2026

Instructions for Soul Searching: Facing the South
Davidson College | 2026

A ceremonial performance grounded in curanderismo and the Mexica and Yucatec medicine wheel. Framed as a series of actions and spoken instructions, the work operates as an enacted ceremony of soul retrieval.

What does it mean to search one’s soul now? What medicine is necessary for the times we are living in?

At its center is an altar functioning as a mobile botanica, a working space of ancient remedies for spiritual illnesses such as fright, susto, and soul loss. The altar contains medicinal plants and materials including copal resin, ruda (rue), rosemary, sage, flowers, water, and a handmade agua florida prepared specifically for this performance as a cleansing agent for the energetic body. Davidson College students from the Curanderx Aesthetics class participate, activating a metaphysical portal alongside the main performer. The portal is opened through Indigenous sound technologies, drum, whistle, and conch, which function as navigational instruments, clearing pathways and calling guidance as the body moves according to the directional logic of the medicine wheel. Facing South, the performer searches for the soul and summons the Nahual as guide.

Alternative Medicine: Healing Remedies for Harmful Times is co-curated by John Corso-Esquivel, associate professor of art and Lia Rose Newman, director/curator and adjunct assistant professor.

Images 2: Courtesy of the artist
Image 1,3,4: Ernesto Moreno Photography

Instructions for Soul Searching: Facing the SouthDavidson College | 2026A ceremonial performance grounded in curanderism...
04/18/2026

Instructions for Soul Searching: Facing the South
Davidson College | 2026

A ceremonial performance grounded in curanderismo and the Mexica and Yucatec medicine wheel. Framed as a series of actions and spoken instructions, the work operates as an enacted ceremony of soul retrieval.

What does it mean to search one’s soul now? What medicine is necessary for the times we are living in?

At its center is an altar functioning as a mobile botanica, a working space of ancient remedies for spiritual illnesses such as fright, susto, and soul loss. The altar contains medicinal plants and materials including copal resin, ruda (rue), rosemary, sage, flowers, water, and a handmade agua florida prepared specifically for this performance as a cleansing agent for the energetic body. Davidson College students from the Curanderx Aesthetics class participate, activating a metaphysical portal alongside the main performer. The portal is opened through Indigenous sound technologies, drum, whistle, and conch, which function as navigational instruments, clearing pathways and calling guidance as the body moves according to the directional logic of the medicine wheel. Facing South, the performer searches for the soul and summons the Nahual as guide.

Alternative Medicine: Healing Remedies for Harmful Times is co-curated by John Corso-Esquivel, associate professor of art and Lia Rose Newman, director/curator and adjunct assistant professor.

Images 1: courtesy of the artist
Image 2-4: Ernesto Moreno Photography

Instructions for Soul Searching: Facing the South, is a ceremonial performance grounded in Curanderismo. Framed as a ser...
02/13/2026

Instructions for Soul Searching: Facing the South, is a ceremonial performance grounded in Curanderismo. Framed as a series of actions, the work operates as an enacted ceremony of soul retrieval.

The artist Luis Sahagun asks: What does it mean to search for your soul in the time we are living in now? What medicine helps us return to the soul we’ve left behind?

Exhibition:
Alternative Medicine: Healing Remedies for Harmful Times is co-curated by John Corso-Esquivel, associate professor of art and Lia Rose Newman , director/curator and adjunct assistant professor.

Exhibiting Artists:
Barton Lidice Beneš – Susan Chen – Jess T. Dugan – Hugh Hayden – Bev Fishman – Jeana Eve Klein – Carolyn Lazard – An-My Lê – Frank C. Moore – Michele Pred – Luis Sahagún – Rudy Shepherd – Jean Shin – Duane Slick – Renée Stout – Fred Tomaselli – Jaune Quick-To-See Smith & Neal Ambrose-Smith

01/27/2026

Doing the daddy challenge with my son tenoch. Surviving while fascism. 😱

01/27/2026

Doing the daddy challenge with my son tenoch, breaking curses, having fun while fascism. 😱

Well s**t, 2025 was one for the books. I crawled my way out of depression, got a new job, tightened my spiritual hygiene...
01/01/2026

Well s**t, 2025 was one for the books. I crawled my way out of depression, got a new job, tightened my spiritual hygiene, built a facial skincare routine, learned to cook really well, and walked 12k a day. I got back in the gym, learned bachata, and developed sound performances. I injured my eyes, Tenoch got into a fight, and I traveled to Baltimore, Chicago, Surf Point (Maine), Mazatlán, Guadalajara, Arkansas, Chautauqua (NY), and muthafreakin’ Toronto. I had three solo exhibitions, had a limpia portrait acquired by a major art museum, was accepted into Penland’s 3-year residency, made incredible friends, including ones here in Charlotte!

2026 I’m coming for you!

I’m feeling deeply grateful to share that my portrait Limpia: Elisa Chang Nuño, has been acquired by the Detroit Institu...
12/02/2025

I’m feeling deeply grateful to share that my portrait Limpia: Elisa Chang Nuño, has been acquired by the Detroit Institute of Arts and is now part of their permanent collection.

It’s an honor to have this piece find a home in an institution with such a powerful history and commitment to art.

Thank you to the folks at Chautauqua Institution for believing in this work early on, and to the team at the DIA for carrying it forward.

Feeling thankful, humbled, and energized for what’s ahead.

.art (te toca aguinaldo prima) Que honor, tu rostro en un museo! 🥰

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Davidson, NC
28035

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