Guillermo Galindo

As an experimental composer and artist, Guillermo Galindo activates found objects in his sculptural instruments. Born in Mexico and living in the Bay Area, Galindo’s work focuses on humanitarian issues along the border. Collecting materials recovered from sites of displacement, Galindo creates sculptures that are brought to life through performances as well as through the participation of the audience. His performances incorporate elements of sound intended to represent the voices of the invisible and removed; while their bodies are no longer present, their presence continues to be felt.

Galindo explores the movement of indigenous people from both the United States and Mesoamerican cultures. His work considers how systems of both forced and limited migrations result in the construction of new identities of these groups. Galindo’s recent work challenges the notions of boundaries from an ecological perspective. In these new pieces, he interprets the existence of flora and fauna along borderlines.

Born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1961. Galindo’s work has been performed and shown at major music festivals, concert halls, museums and art exhibits throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia and has been featured on CNN, the BBC (London), The Nation Magazine (US), NPR City Arts and Lectures and All Things Considered, CBC (Canada), Reforma Newspaper (Mexico), The New York Times, and Swiss Radio (Switzerland) among many others. His work has been shown at the: San Jose Museum of Art in 2016, Amon Carter Museum in Dallas Fort Worth (2016), Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas (2017), Pace Gallery, New York (2017), and Documenta 14. The book Border Cantos was published by Aperture and has been nominated for best book of the year. Galindo has been commissioned to write music for the UNAM symphony orchestra in Mexico City, the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and Choir, and the Kronos Quartet.