Jacobo y María Ángeles

ARTISTS

Jacobo y María Ángeles

Artists and craftsmen

Jacobo y Maria Angeles’ style is born from the development of the decoration and conceptualization of their tonas and nahuales.

María del Carmen Mendoza Méndez (San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca. 1977) and Jacobo Ángeles Ojeda (San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca. 1973) began their work as artisans from Childhood. They were born into the world of the tonas and nahuales thanks to their families, who had their own workshop for wooden figures. In 1994, Maria and Jacobo married and began working jointly.They eventually founded the Jacobo and María Ángeles Workshop, specializing in the production of figures carved in copal wood.

The Angeles artistic work is based on the investigation and interpretation of the symbols and the Zapotec worldview, which has become their iconic style. Jacobo and Maria found a way to communicate through narratives, creating a product line of “collections”. These collections tell a conceptual story that substantially elevates the craftsmanship from souvenirs to works of art.

This style is born from the development of the decoration and conceptualization of their tonas and nahuales. Their technical and aesthetic innovation ranges from wood curing processes, the integration of gold embellishment, high temperature ceramics, silver jewelry making and the use of various other materials.

With a great commitment to their art and to their hometown of San Martín Tilcajete, the project grew from two people to a workshop that supports the community and preserves tradition.The workshop currently provides more than 350 jobs, minimizes migration in the region, and strengthens the trade of wood carving.

Their work elicits great visibility and international prestige. Jacobo’s first solo-show was held at Nimodo Gallery, Ginza, Japan in 2003. The Ángeles’ have participated in various exhibitions, conferences and competitions in Mexico, the United States, Japan, Germany, Brazil and Spain, received numerous awards, and are widely published. They are currently included in worldwide private and public collections, such as the Art Collection of the United Nations, the Museum of Popular Art of Mexico City (MAP), the Fomento cultural Banamex, MOLAA Long Beach, CA, Smithsonian Collection in Washington DC,and the Rockefeller Center, NY, among others.

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