Eduardo Sarabia
—Eclipse, 2024
Now on view at Faena New York
In Eclipse, Mexican artist Eduardo Sarabia takes the 2024 solar eclipse as a point of departure as the phenomenon held particular resonance for Sarabia. The eclipse’s point of greatest visibility occurred in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, the place where Eduardo and his family are from.
For Sarabia, the eclipse is not only an astronomical event but also a symbolic threshold: a moment when the barrier between worlds thins, portals open, and other presences may enter our reality.
The work forms part of 4 Minutes of Darkness, a larger series in which Sarabia imagines what unfolds during the brief interval when the moon passes in front of the sun. In Eclipse a silver coin overlaps a gold one, evoking the moon’s passage across the sun, while the extended palm introduces palmistry an ancestral language of self-knowledge, fate, and emotional orientation. Across the work, intimate symbols including gold coins, the rooster, the goat, and the parakeet, as well as references to his favorite sports teams become part of a larger meditation on roots, myth, and the unseen forces that shape identity.
MEET THE ARTIST
Our rendition of the Proust Questionnaire is our unique take on the famous parlor game that gained popularity, although it was not originally created, by Marcel Proust, the renowned French essayist and novelist. Proust held the belief that by responding to these questions, individuals unveil their genuine essence.
What is your motto?
- “Échale peligro” — make it dangerous. It’s something I say often at the studio while creating. A reminder not to take life too seriously, and not to be afraid of taking risks.
Who are your heroes in real life?
- The people who still make things by hand — the artisans I’ve worked with in Jalisco. I admire the knowledge that isn’t written down anywhere.
Who are your favorite writers?
- Juan Rulfo, always. And Roberto Bolaño — the way they tell stories blending myth and reality is close to what I try to do in my work.
What is your most marked characteristic?
- The obsession with research before I start a project — I can spend months buried in a subject before I ever touch the material.
What is your most treasured possession?
- My grandfather’s treasure map — it’s been the beginning of an endless adventure and inspiration.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
- With the excuse of the eclipse that happened in 2024, through my work I was able to give back to a community and a place that’s very dear to me. With the help of public and private institutions, I was able to lead the restoration of the public museum of Mazatlán.
Which talent would you most like to have?
- I wish I was better at it, but I love singing.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Eduardo Sarabia (b. 1976, Los Angeles, CA) uses narrative as his core material, developing a visual language shaped by both lived experience and imagined stories. His work explores cultural and social dynamics, blending autobiography with broader historical and mystical contexts. In his paintings, personal photographs merge with floral motifs, evoking themes of fiction, memory, and the passage of time. Working across ceramics, textiles, sculpture, and installation, Sarabia’s practice connects traditional craft with contemporary methods.
Recent projects include a trilogy of exhibitions inspired by the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Prologue at Maureen Paley, London; 4 Minutos de Oscuridad at Galería OMR, Mexico City; and Viaje hacia el Eclipse at the Museo de Arte de Mazatlán. His work has been shown at major institutions such as Dallas Contemporary, Museo Tamayo, Instituto Cultural Cabañas, and CAC Málaga, and is held in numerous public and private collections.
DIGITAL ART PROGRAM
The Faena Art Digital Art Program presents a curated selection of video and digital artworks, transforming the monitor into a site for experimentation, reflection, and dialogue between art, technology, and the viewer.