
Born in Mexico City and based in NYC, Manuel Hernandez expands the narrative of contemporary Native American identity in Latin America. Blending written and oral histories, his paintings embody reclamation—both in form and feeling. Working on rough, wall-mounted surfaces, he applies dry brush techniques to evoke the textures of ancient frescoes and the legacy of the Mexican Muralists. Breaking from traditional square canvases, he shapes his works like animal hides, drawing from family stories, historical research, and firsthand encounters with ancestral art and ruins.