Bio
Nelly César bio
Nelly César (Mexican, b. 1986) is an interdisciplinary artist exploring a variety of mediums, including sculpture, installation and drawing, in connection to performance. She develops multifaceted experimental projects in Mexico City in order to propose alternative ways of experiencing art, and to build stronger and more diverse artistic communities.
Through her artistic practice, César attempts to decolonize artistic and urban territories by reclaiming spaces and creating self-organizing structures outside of hegemonic economic and social systems. César’s commitment to constructing alternatives to institutional traditions is central to her work as the creative director and co-founder of an independent cultural centre in Mexico City, Pandeo: the multi-social venue for affective health. Pandeo creates new ways of thinking about public space and feminist practices, focusing on the interpersonal and affective interactions between the arts, audiences and creators.
In addition to Pandeo, César has been part of numerous counter-cultural collectives, including Las Sucias, a feminist group in Mexico, and AKA, a group of displaced artists in Vancouver and Prras Collective!, an art and editorial project engaging with issues of labour, economy and recognition for women in the arts in Mexico.
César holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia, and has presented her work at “Situate Yourself / Situez-Vous: A Conference on Embodied Knowledge in Art and Visual Culture” at Concordia University and at the Mexico City/UNESCO “Foro Internacional: Ciudad de México y la condición de las y los creadoras/es.” Her professional practice extends to academia as an undergraduate lecturer and high school teacher in Mexico and Canada. She is featured in the Museo de Mujeres Artistas Mexicanas and in Archiva: Masterpieces of Mexican Feminist Art by Mónica Mayer. She has received funding and material support for her artistic, educational and curatorial work throughout her career from Fundación Jumex, El fondo estatal para la cultura y las artes del estado de Puebla, and the Terra Foundation for American Art.