Raised between San Diego and Tijuana, Alida Cervantes confronts issues of race, class, sex and gender that pervade life in the Mexican border region. ‘My artwork is an exploration of power relationships’, she explains. ‘… I use fantasy, the grotesque, and dark humour in ambiguous, semi-narrative works that implicate wider narratives of colonial and postcolonial representation.’ The figures in her works – such as Desde que te conoci (2016) – draw inspiration from Mexican dolls, puppets, masks and folklore, as well as colonial ‘casta’ paintings of the eighteenth century. Seeking to challenge historical narratives, her imaginary protagonists highlight the country’s complex identity politics, instilled over centuries through violence, hierarchy and oppression. Included in various shows at the Saatchi Gallery – most recently Known Unknowns (2018) – Cervantes has featured in recent exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami; the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. Her work is held in the latter’s permanent collection.