Andres Cacho

BIO

Born 1989 in Mexico City. Cacho began his career as a designer. It is from his background as a designer that his practice inherited a process of research, thought and exploration towards the construction of objects. He is interested in the boundaries between craft and art. He researches everyday actions to tackle the recognition and awareness of the mundane.

His work has been exhibited at museums in Mexico including Tamayo Museum, Franz Mayer Museum and San Ildefonso College. He has also participated in the 2nd Iberoamerican Ibero-American Design Biennial in Spain. After graduating from the MFA in Global Art Practice in the Tokyo University of the Arts he was chosen by the CENIDIAP (Arts National Research Centre) to continue his research as part of the Mexico-Japan permanent research seminar of art. Cacho is based again in Mexico to blur the obundaries between art, craft and design from his atelier.

STATEMENT

The daily repetition of an action may have two possible outcomes. One outcome may be a forgotten moment from our everyday lives the second is a way to achieve comprehensive mastery of our own lives. I tend to pursue the latter. I think of art as a medium to highlight and create awareness of the forgotten importance of mundane daily actions.

My practice questions the understanding of craft as a technique; as a mindlessly mechanical repetition. I am interested in the boundaries between craft and art; and with that, the intimate relationship between hand and thought. I consider the idea of craftsmanship as the elevation of a practice, and art, as the exteriorization of the thought.

EXHIBITIONS / AWARDS

２０１９　／　National Art Museum · Abierto Mexicano de Diseño · Exhibition
２０１９　／　Private collection · Permanent exhibition
２０１９　／　早暁賞 "Dawn Award" · Nomination
２０１９　／　Artの力賞 “Art Power Award" · Nomination
２０１９　／　Gunma Biennial for Young Artist · Exhibition
２０１８　／　Creators 5 · Exhibition · Tokyo Artcomplex Center
２０１８　／　Showcase · Solo Exhibition curated by Ozawa Tsuyoshi · TUA
２０１７　／　Toride Art Path · Exhibition · Tokyo University of the Arts
２０１７　／　Folkeston Art Triennale · Exhibition · England. TUA x CSM
２０１６　／　Monbukagakusho · Scholar · Japan Ministry of Education
２０１５　／　Zona Maco de Arte Contemporáneo · Designer · Pirwi Pavilion
２０１４　／　Design Week Mexico · Designer · Pirwi Pavilion for Tamayo Museum
２０１３　／　San Ildefonso Museum · Exhibition · Abierto Mexicano de Diseño
２０１２　／　Iberoamerican Design Biennale · Honorable Mention México
２０１２　／　Iberoamerican Design Biennale · Exhibition · Spain · Jabonera Design Estudio
２０１２　／　Quorum · Award · Conceptual category
２０１２　／　Quorum · Exhibition · Franz Mayer Museum
２０１２　／　Dimuebe · Honorable Mention
２０１１　／　Iminox · Honorable Mention
２０１１　／　POPAI · Award · Red Solutions

CONTACT

cacho@andrescacho.com

MICTLAN
2012

“I daresay that, to the citizens of New York, Paris or London, death is an unpronounceable word that burns the lips. Mexicans, on the other side, frequent, mock, pet, sleep with and celebrate death. It is one of our favorite toys andour deepest love. It is true that we may fear it as much as others; but at least we do not hide it nor hide from it.” - Fragment from “El laberinto de la Soledad” -Octavio Paz-
The Day of the Death tradition is full of colors, scents, sights and sounds. Inspired by all these stimuli Mictlan is designed to embrace death as part of life. The urn is hand-made by artisans from Tarandacuao, Guanajuato in central Mexico.

IGOROVMX Photography

LOMA
2013

Nowadays lifestyle does not leave much free time La Loma is a low table to enjoy a picnic in the comfort of your home. The rug is crafted in 100% wool by Mr. Granados from the mountain towns of Queretaro, Mexico. The table is made of poplar wood and finished with linseed oil.
The perfect integration between design and the craftsmanship of the carpenter Cesario Collado allows the table to be assembled entirely by hand within seconds

IGOROVMX Photography

MACO
2014

Each year ZONA MACO, Latin America’s most important contemporary art fair, brings collectors, specialists and galleries from every part of the world together in Mexico City. Pirwi Pavillion for this art fair exhibits months of work of the PreFab Houses Project. Within the pavilion there is work from 8 different artist with whom Pirwi collaborated.
As head of New Product & Projects Development I was responsible for the engineering and installation of the pavilion and all the furniture within it.

Diego Berruecos Photography
maco

Diego Berruecos Photography
maco
maco

Diego Berruecos Photography
maco

Diego Berruecos Photography

TAMAYO
2015

The pavilion is a circular structure inspired by windows. Small spaces that allow the user to perceive an instant of the everchanging enviroment. This project studies architecture as a phenomenon that combines nature and creativity. - Alejandro Castro
As head of New Product & Projects Development I was responsible for the engineering and installation of the project.

PIRWI
2016

"The goal is to make Pirwi a useful tool in social and environmental regeneration, which will help create a larger level of well being for the company and its workers, for those who use our products, and for the planet that allows us to manufacture them."
I worked from 2012 until 2016 as Sr. Designer in the New Product Development area at Pirwi. As the new products and special projects development project leader I worked in the cencept, development, prototyping and manufacture of projects ranging form a chair to wooden pavilions.

DLK modular shelf - Design by Derek Dellekamp

Petzel Lamp - Design by Jorge Pardo

Development Process

6AM Chair - Design by Emiliano Godoy

Martina Table - Design by Ian Ortega

COMPASS
2016

The wedge is one of the oldest and most applied principles in Japanese woodworking. As a basic exercise to comprehend and learn the joint I developed two beam compasses.
Two ideas, a line as the union between two points. And a line as one of the simplest forms of visual communication inspired these designs. Straight and simple lines define the form of both compasses.
In one, minimizing the impact of the pencil and the needle to the minimum. Therefore, leaving the all the protagonism to the form and the concept.
On the other hand, the second design gives to the pencil, or its absence, the main focus. As the pencil is the wedge itself and without it, the compass function can not be done.

GRADIENT
2016

The thinning of the wood in the magewappa bento joint inspired this lamp. The idea is to create a gradient that is only visible when the light is on. This gradient seeks to unveil the beauty add warmth of wood. The presicion on the thickness progresion in the material can only be achieved manually with the Japanese wood planer, kanna.
The bottom joint of the lamp shade is made with a small wooden insert and tighten up together with Japanese cherry bark.

COLORS
2017

The concept of this project derives from the question: What is beautiful?
I think that the answer to this question lies within each person. In a world that is more connected than ever before, and a society that is growing in diversity. Nowadays is important to acknowledge the beauty in diversity.
Despite the fact that we are all equal details make us all different. There’s an opportunity to see the color of each person, to see the characteristics that make us unique.
This cups may appear equal. But if you look closely to the inner side, just like people, they have diverse colors.

HAYASHI
2017

Inspired by tradicional Japanese carpentry, this table can be totally disassembled thanks to the dovetails and wedges used for its construction.
It is finished with soap inspired by the Danish carpentry. Made with Japanese larch and finished with soap for the legs and oil for the tabletop.

WASHI STOOL
2017

A simple stool with the seat wooven with Japanese paper. The adges are handcarved with a chisel. Made with Japanese ash and finished with linseed oil.

MAKE (BREAK) & MEND
2017

This project was presented as part of the Folkestone Fringe Art Festival, parallel to the Folkestone Art Triennial in England. The artwork is a reminder of the constant cycle of construction and deconstruction in which society is immersed. From colonialism to consumism. An endless loop of apropiation and transformation.
A column of the pavilion was removed and replaced with a pitchfork made from an old telegraph pole. After that, chopsticks were made from the wood of the original column during a 5 days performance by the artist.
This artwork was made in collaboration with Stephen Palmer from the Folkestone Shedders, a group of ex-military personnel working with wood. In Stephen experience during his sailor days, Wednesdays were meant to “Make and Mend” anything that needed repair in the boat.

Mend (Break) & Mend from Andres Cacho on Vimeo.

Bartle Halpin Photography

©Global Art Joint Curriculum 2017 between Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and Tokyo University of the Arts

Bartle Halpin Photography

AGATHIS DECONSTRUCTION
2017

As much times is defined, I don't believe craft as a mindless repetition. Pursuing the mastery of the kanna (Japanese wood plane) by deconstructing 1cm of Agathis wood into 140 slices, this artwork seeks not only to show us the most intimate lines of wood but to dissect the technique itself and think about the the boundaries between an artwork and a craft.

HAYASHI SILLA
2018

This chair is inspired by the ancient Japanese technique to round the huge logs used for the tori gates. The legs of the chair were hand-rounded with the Japanese kanna (Japanese woodplane)
Made with Japanese larch it is finished with wax

KUMITATE STOOL
2018

Stool made in colaboration with the furniture maker from Japan Tsumiki. I designed and built the stool during an intensive internship learning about furniture making and how to carry on a woodworking workshop. The stool is thought to be dissasemblable and portable within a small bag. These conditions also made the stool very light with a weight of just 1.3kg. The detail and precision in the joints makes it not only possible assemble without any tool, but incredibly sturdy. Finished with soap to preserve the natural color of the Japanese Ash

MOLINILLOS
2018

"Molinillo" is a craft that has remain unchanged since it was born as a "mestizo" in 1700 as part of the Spanish and Mexican culture mix.
This work in progress is a first approach to a series of sculptures inspired by the idea of the "Molinillo" as an artwork. Besides exploring the technice, materials and possible finishes of the object, the objective of this work is to delve into the boundaries between art and craft in Mexico.

Molinillo 1
Magnolia, oil

Molinillo 2
Magnolia

Molinillo 3
Magnolia

Molinillo 4
Magnolia

Molinillo 5
Magnolia

Molinillo 6
Magnolia

Molinillo 7
Magnolia

Molinillo 8
Magnolia

Molinillo 9
Magnolia

Molinillo 10
Magnolia, oil

Molinillo 11
Magnolia

Molinillo 12
Oak

Molinillo 13
Oak, tin foil

Molinillo 14
Larch

Molinillo 15
Magnolia, Japanese laquer

Molinillo 16
Oak

Molinillo 17
Poplar

Molinillo 18
Oak

Molinillo 19
Oak

Molinillo 20
Magnolia, tin foil

Molinillo 21
- -

Molinillo 22
Poplar

Molinillo 23
Japanese elm

Molinillo 24
Poplar

Molinillo 25
Oak

Molinillo 26
Oak

Molinillo 27
Japanese elm, gold leaf

Molinillo 28
Poplar

Molinillo 29
- -

Molinillo 30
Walnut

Molinillo 31
Magnolia

Molinillo 32
Burdock

Molinillo 33
Burdock

Molinillo 34
Burdock, gold leaf

Molinillo 35
Walnut

Molinillo 36
Walnut

Molinillo 37
Oak

Molinillo 38
Burdock

Molinillo 39
Magnolia

Molinillo 40
Japanese cypress

Molinillo 41
- -

Molinillo 42
Poplar

Molinillo 43
Walnut

Molinillo 44
Japanese elm

Molinillo 45
Oak

Molinillo 46
Poplar

Molinillo 47
- -

Molinillo 48
Poplar

Molinillo 49
- -

Molinillo 50
Japanese cypress, gold leaf

Molinillo 51
Poplar, gold leaf

Molinillo 52
Burdock, gold leaf

Molinillo 53
Walnut

Molinillo 54
Japanese elm

Molinillo 55
- -

Molinillo 56
Japanese elm

Molinillo 57
- -

Molinillo 58
- -

Molinillo 59
Japanese cypress, gold leaf

Molinillo 60
Walnut

Molinillo 61
Walnut

Molinillo 62
Burdock

Molinillo 63
White ash

Molinillo 64
Japanese cypress

Molinillo 65
Japanese cypress

Molinillo 66
Japanese cypress, gold leaf

Molinillo 67
Japanese cypress

Molinillo 68
Poplar

Molinillo 69
Burdock

Molinillo 70
Beech

Molinillo 71
Beech

Molinillo 72
Poplar

Molinillo 73
Poplar

Molinillo 74
- -

Molinillo 75
- -

Molinillo 76
Japanese elm

Molinillo 77
Japanese elm

Molinillo 78
Beech

Molinillo 79
White ash

Molinillo 80
White ash

Molinillo 81
White ash

Molinillo 82
Beech

Molinillo 83
Beech

Molinillo 84
Poplar

Molinillo 85
Poplar

Molinillo 86
Poplar

Molinillo 87
White ash

Molinillo 88
Japanese elm

Molinillo 89
White ash

COLECCION_01
2019

Presented at the National Art Museum during the Abierto Mexicano de Diseño and awarded an honorific mention, Coleccion_01 is a work in progress made for Coleccion Estudio, a project by Andres Cacho, Manuel Lopez and Daniel Martinez. It explores aesthetics, objects and technics deeply embeded into the mexican culture. The outcome, products with a deep and sculptural aesthetic. Each piece is designed and made by us, in our workshop, with our hands. We are learners of a strong cultural context.
Coleccion_01 is composed of a series of sculptures and three low tables. Both, the sculptures and the tables are based on the idea of the Molinillo as an art object. The sculptures are created on the lathe, with various types of wood inspired by the molinillo artisans techniques. Burning the wood on the same lathe to obtain contrasts in each sculpture. TEach of the tables legs were turned manually by us. Its intense black color, again inspired by the grinders, is made burning each piece. The tops instead, inspired by another technique, are ebonized with iron acetate. The three tables, finished with boiled linseed oil.