(Mexico City, 1979)
For Israel González Élan, art is a mechanism of transformation. His approach to alchemy and hermetic thought has deeply tangible roots: as a child, he witnessed the purification of metals in the crucible of his grandfather's smelting plant. This early memory regarding the alteration of matter now underpins a multidisciplinary practice centered on the sacred, symbolic structures, and the phenomenology of perception.
Élan positions his work at the intersection of tradition and contemporaneity. Through painting, digital processes, sculpture, and light, the artist intervenes in both organic and industrial materials: marble, carved wood, aluminum, steel, and mirrors. Rather than representing metaphysical concepts, Élan constructs physical interfaces designed to shift the viewer from passive observation to a state of expanded consciousness, proposing matter itself as a direct bridge toward the intangible.
Artist Statement
My artistic practice investigates how physical matter can transform into a bridge toward the intangible, connecting us with deeper realities.
I view creation as the construction of an active space: symbols, forms, and chromatic combinations function as catalysts that reconfigure the coordinates of our own perception. Traversing between analog and digital processes, my work embraces the natural equilibrium of opposites, understanding them not as opposing forces, but as an indivisible unity. Thus, art operates as an exercise in transmutation: the alchemy of distilling matter to reveal its essential light—that internal gold which illuminates consciousness.
Trajectory & Exhibitions
Élan’s work has been the subject of international exhibitions in Mexico, Europe, and the United States, notably highlighted by his representation with Galería Hilario Galguera, with whom he presented Nothing Comes From Nowhere (Mexico City, 2023).
His career includes a curatorial selection at La Biennale di Venezia (Fondazione Amadeo Modigliani, Italy, 2021), as well as exhibitions at Contemporaine De L’art Mexicain (Gallery AU, Paris, 2022) and Black Brick Project (New York, 2025).
Recently, he presented the multidisciplinary body of work Yo Soy Tanto Yo Mismo Como Soy Parte de Todo in collaboration with Casa Hotbook (Mexico City, 2025). His work is featured in the Al-Tiba9 Directory 2026 and will be part of a group exhibition at MACBA (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires) in 2027.
Education
2005 Master’s in Visual Communication, Universidad Mexicana, Mexico City.
2000–2004 Bachelor’s in Graphic Design, Universidad Mexicana, Mexico City.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025 Yo Soy Tanto Yo Mismo Como Soy Parte de Todo, Caasa Hotbook, Mexico City.
2024 El Espíritu del Alquimista, Proyecto H Contemporáneo, Mexico City.
2023 Nothing Comes From Nowhere, Galería Hilario Galguera, Mexico City.
2022 Conjuros Cósmicos, LOOT, Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
2022 Naturaleza Divina, Galería Blanco Colima, Mexico City.
2021 El Camino del Sol, Espacio Unión, Mexico City.
Selected Group Exhibitions & Fairs
2026 ÍNDEX VII: XX, Galería Hilario Galguera, Mexico City.
2025 The Morning Club, Black Brick Project, New York, USA.
2025 ÍNDEX VI: Intus Foris, Galería Hilario Galguera, Mexico City.
2025 Zona MACO (with Galería Hilario Galguera), Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City.
2024 Zona MACO (with Galería Hilario Galguera), Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City.
2022 Contemporaine De L'art Mexicain, Gallery AU, Paris, France.
2021 La Biennale di Venezia, Fondazione Amadeo Modigliani, Venice, Italy.
2021 México de mil colores, Casa Decor, Madrid, Spain.
2020 Design Week México, Mexico City.
2019 Latin Art Show, Cadena Gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA.