May 24 to Sep 1, 2025
Between the Current and the Echo
About the Exhibition
This summer, the Varley Art Gallery presents the Z’otz* Collective, a multidisciplinary trio composed of Nahúm Flores, Erik Jerezano, and Ilyana Martínez.
Of Latin American heritage, they merge drawing, painting, ceramics, and animation to create playful, storytelling-driven works that blend tradition with contemporary experimentation. Their art features bold lines, surreal imagery, and hybrid creatures inspired by mythologies, fables, and Pre-Hispanic art forms. Since 2004, the Collective has developed a unique communal process, passing works between members to build layered, evolving compositions.
Between the Current and the Echo foregrounds the Z’otz* Collective’s commitment to co-creation, rejecting the notion of the solitary artist in favour of a collaborative, ever-evolving process rooted in spontaneity and exchange.
About the Collective
Since 2004, Nahum Flores, Erik Jerezano, and Ilyana Martinez have gathered religiously on Sundays to adopt a singular artistic persona called Z’otz*. Through what is seemingly improvisational, they weave complex tales about transition, displacement, containment and evolution. Each work is a collaboration of all three artists. One artist starts a piece, circulates it like a baton, and each artist carries the narrative forward guided by the suggestion of the others. At first glance, the finished product, which may include collage, ink, acrylic, crayon, watercolour, gouache and/or pencil, may appear to be a naïve rendition of a dream. Humorous titles serve as a guide on surreal journeys. Do not expect to be satisfied with your first interpretation, let your imagination wander. Z’otz* has done over 25 solo exhibitions in public museums across Canada, mostly in the form of installations, murals and other public projects.
