A DISSECTION OF CRISTETO’S APOLO(S) AT MEMORIA
By Álvaro de Benito
MEMORIA presents the first solo European exhibition of Armando Cristeto (Mexico City, 1957). Titled Apolo(s) (1979–1996), the show focuses on a curatorial analysis of Apolo Urbano (1980–1989), one of the artist’s most iconic series, while also incorporating other works to offer a comprehensive view of his practice.
Cristeto—a multifaceted photographer, writer, teacher, and curator—approached photography with an experimental sensibility, using it as a tool to express his interdisciplinary vision. At the end of the 1970s, which marks the starting point of the exhibition’s narrative, he was actively involved in the Grupo de Fotógrafos Independientes (Independent Photographers Group) and the Peyote y la Compañía collective, both of which shaped the aesthetic development of his work.
The exploration of Apolo Urbano is built around a series of visual essays featuring previously unpublished works. These images reveal the duality inherent in the stigmatized body. At the same time, Cristeto uncovers paths of escape, renewal, and a reengagement with the classical male physique, explored through bodybuilding and its visual language.
The apparent hedonism and frivolity in his work is echoed in his near-documentary portrayals of nightlife and counterculture in 1980s Mexico City. These include the Noches del Reventón (1980–1989) series and snapshots of the first Pride marches (1980–1988). The exhibition also includes several collages and expanded photographic works from his later period, created between 1989 and 1996, which further reflect his evolving visual language and conceptual inquiries.
Armando Cristeto: Apolo(s) (1979–1996) is on view at Centro de MEMORIA, Piamonte 19, Madrid, through September 6.
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