Casa Otro is proud to open its 2026 exhibition calendar with “FANTASMAS,” a powerful new body of work by New Mexico–based artist Adrian Aguirre. The exhibition opens January 3, 2026, with a public reception from 4–7 p.m. at Casa Otro in Mesilla, NM.
“FANTASMAS” reflects on refugees who were deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador, exploring the ways their identities were stripped through systems of dehumanization.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
This series responds to news photographs of refugees deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador, images that reveal a new threshold of cruelty, where people are stripped of liberty and identity without due process. As photojournalist Philip Holsinger observed, the imprisoned men had become “ghosts.”
Unlike my earlier portraits that sought to affirm presence and individuality, these drawings explore the visual language of dehumanization itself. Some figures are rendered in a higher key, their lightness contrasting sharply with the dark silhouettes of prison guards. Others are weighted down, their bodies bent toward the ground under the force of subjugation. Through these contrasts, I aim to confront viewers with the transformation of human beings into spectral presences, figures caught between visibility and erasure, spirit and body, autonomy and control.
ARTIST BIO:
Adrián Aguirre (b. 1980, Ciudad Juárez) is a Mexican-American artist whose childhood, spent crossing the El Paso/Juárez border daily, profoundly shaped his exploration of borders and immigration. He holds an MFA from the University of North Texas and, in 2022, was named one of the “12 Artists to Know in New Mexico” by Southwest Contemporary magazine. A member of Strata Gallery in Santa Fe, Aguirre works primarily in drawing and painting, rendering expressive portraits that evoke the lived experiences of displaced communities.
Aguirre often travels to meet immigrants and refugees, allowing firsthand encounters to inform his practice and deepen the authenticity of his subjects. He also incorporates news images to highlight the stark reality of border enforcement, weaving journalistic visuals into his compositions to underscore the impact of policy on individuals. His work challenges governmental policies by portraying asylum seekers and refugees, exposing the power dynamics of militarized border policing and inviting viewers to reconsider how societies treat vulnerable and marginalized people.