Manos de hierro en guantes de terciopelo

No Man’s Art Gallery presents Manos de hierro en guantes de terciopelo, an exhibition by Alan Hernández (1992, Mexico).

Through textiles, embroidery and crafted materials, Hernández creates hybrid beings that carry traces of intimacy and metamorphosis. Nocturnal life invites another way of seeing: one guided less by certainty and more by instinct, where identities remain fluid and beauty reveals itself slowly.

Known for a self-referential practice that combines a subtle sense of humour with a distinct political charge, Hernández works with intricate textile and beadwork techniques rooted in the craft traditions of his native region. Informed by the textile knowledge passed down from his mother, who worked as a seamstress, he transforms these techniques into immersive installations and scenographic environments.

Through his artistic practice, Hernández rethinks his role as a (queer) male within society, exploring themes of the body, gender, race, sexuality and identity. His sculptural works evolve intuitively throughout the making process, resulting in forms that merge the organic and the phallic, drawing from both nature and the human body.