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Honoring the body’s wisdom

 

“There’s a force inside me that needs to express itself through paint. An impulse to materialize feelings, dreams; what I cannot express in words. I wish to manifest this energy in my work and find a language that resonates with others through our pains, our human experience of emotion, to honor the wisdom we carry whitin. With acrylic paint, fabric and sound, my work evokes the body’s sensorial shades, the transformative nature of things. Compositions that remind us that everything is energy, that there is no time or separation, that the entire universe is a living organism of which we are a part. An unfathomable magical and wonderful mystery”

Ileana


BIO


Ileana García ‘Magoda’
Mexico City, 05/21/1985



Ileana was born with Spina Bifida Occulta, a congenital defect of the sacral area, which make her experience pain since childhood. Ileana grew up in the projects of Mexico City’s periferia, where artistic practice is scarce. Despite this fact, she was always fascinated by the arts and drew obsessively since she was a toddler. Later she learned music, singing and fashion design. Not being able to enroll in art school for economic reasons, Ileana studied Graphic Design instead, specializing in illustration, at the National Autonomous University of México (UNAM). After her studies, Ileana worked professionally for more than a decade as an art director in advertising agencies, while running a musical project called Smurphy, where she released several critically acclaimed albums and played electronic music shows and festivals.

In late 2020, after a period of several years of physical rehabilitation (due to health complications related to her spinal defect), Ileana gave up on graphic design and music. The long hours of sitting, working on computers and DJing affected her health negatively. Feeling deeply lost, she took a ceramic workshop for beginners and while working with the clay she realized her passion for painting, a dream she had previously not thought possible. Ileana then decided to dedicate her life to make art, which has helped greatly in coping with her health condition and has given her purpose in life.





SOLO EXHIBITIONS
“Crystallizations”, at Finca Don Porfirio Independent Space, January 2023, Mexico City, MX
Radio Nopal’s, “The Healing Power of Image”, acryllic paint and sound piece, June 2022, Mexico City, MX. Anonimo MX, Live painting on large format, acryllic, June 2022, Mexico City, MX. Momoroom, “Formas Rituales”, acryllic paint and sound piece, November 2021, Mexico City, MX.


GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Obra Gris, group exhibiton, March 2023, Mexico City, MX.
Manuk Art Gallery by Lourdes Rivera, continous exhibition since August 2022, San Miguel de Allende, MX.
Mooni Gallery of Emerging Art, continous exhibition since May 2021, Mexico City, MX.
FAIN Emerging Art Fair, open call, December 2021, Mexico City, MX.



STUDIES
2003 - 2008
Undergraduated of Graphic Design, specializing in Illustration, National Autonomous Univeristy of Mexico, UNAM, class of 2003.




PAST WORK
2016 - 2021
Co-founder, creative and art director of CREA Studio, web design and digital marketing agency. Developing branding and UX design working remotely with software and manufacturing companies and web agencies in the US.

2011 - 2021
Electronic music producer, DJ, and live performer under the alias of Smurphy. Produced critically acclaimed albums released independently and on various labels such as N.A.A.F.I. (MX), Leaving Records (LA) and Bokeh Versions (UK), with live performances at Mutek MX and Mutek Montreal in 2017, NRMAL Festival in 2018, among others.

2008 - 2016
Designer, art director and creative in advertising agencies. Among them, Alejandro González Iñárritu's “Z-Publicity” and “Central Films” where she worked closely with Rodrigo García Saiz and other film directors developing visualizations and art direction for international TV commercials. Mexico City and Los Angeles.






Magoda’s name is a variation of María (Mara, Marina, Magda, Margot, Margode, etc.) I adopted this name to embrace the Great Mother, the Magna Mater, the Triple Goddess, the female diety giver of life, the universal creative force, the center of conciousness, life and expansion, the eternal and absolute femenine. The Great Mother’s power have helped me create a life of resilience and growth, it helped me overcome sexual abuse and great suffering from growing in a precarious environment. I embrace Magoda to remember the intrinsec creative energy that I believe is contained in every one of us, an absolute potencially magical power that waits silently for us to be awaken.