Enrique Chagoya

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Mexican-born and San Francisco-based, Enrique Chagoya, describes his work as a “conceptual fusion of opposite cultural realities.” and often uses the term “ Reverse Anthropology”. Chagoya, well known for his socially and politically appropriated images from various cultures, juxtaposes them in absurd, witty and insightful ways that draw attention to and question their meanings, often describing how dominant cultures records history and alter ideas, traditions, images and objects.

Born in Mexico City , Chagoya earned a bachelor's degree in political economics at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico in 1975. In 1977, Chagoya immigrated to the United States , where he worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. In 1984 he graduated with an MFA at the University of California at Berkeley . Chagoya worked as director of Galeria de la Raza, helping to establish the gallery as San Francisco 's premiere venue for Chicano art. Since 1995, Chagoya has been teaching at Stanford University . Chagoya's work is represented in major museum collections including: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Mexican Museum, The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institute San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.