MEXICO CITY.- A rarely seen dimension of renowned Mexican muralist Daniel Manrique Arias (1939-2010) is now on public display at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Xochimilco Unit. Titled "Pica, lica y califica. Daniel Manrique desde la mirada de Carlos Plascencia. Los ñeros en la cultura" (roughly, "Try it, Look at it, and Judge for Yourself. Daniel Manrique from the Perspective of Carlos Plascencia. The 'Ñeros' in Culture"), the exhibition, which opened yesterday, invites visitors to form their own judgments on the artist's broader creative output.


🚀 See What Everyone's Reading! Explore Amazon's current bestsellers and find your next great read.


The exhibition moves beyond Manrique's celebrated murals to showcase his diverse artistic contributions, largely through the lens of cultural promoter Carlos Plascencia Fabila (1956-2015). Plascencia, also a key figure in the Tepito Arte Acá collective, provides an intimate perspective on Manrique's work.

This significant show is a collaborative effort by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) through its Seminar-Workshop for the Restoration of Modern and Contemporary Art (STROMC), ENCRyM, UAM-Xochimilco, Galería del Sur, the Tepito Arte Acá collective, and the family of Carlos Plascencia.

According to Ana Lizeth Mata Delgado, head of the STROMC, the exhibition aims to "reveal another side of the artist, outside of his mural work," and to foster reflection on the documentation of the Tepito Arte Acá movement. The initiative grew out of a restoration project initiated in 2022, when UAM-Xochimilco commissioned STROMC to restore Manrique's 1982 mural, Science and Society, a project completed in November 2024.

A Diverse Collection and Untold Stories

On view are 26 pieces, spanning easel paintings, sculptures, texts, and photographs by Carlos Plascencia. The exhibition also includes two videos featuring interviews with Manrique's collaborators, Antonio Paz and Claudia Salazar, highlighting efforts to bring the essence of the Tepito neighborhood to a wider audience.


🖼️ Value our daily art insights? Consider a gift to ArtDaily! Find us on PayPal or become a patron on Patreon.


Visitors will find works that depict Tepito, often referred to as the "Barrio bravo" (Brave Neighborhood), showcasing its architecture and the everyday trades of its residents. The collection also includes Manrique's explorations of political and religious themes, offering a glimpse into the artist's personal reflections.

"The contrasts will be interesting, because there are extremely abstract works, something atypical in Manrique's oeuvre," Mata Delgado explained. "But we will also be able to see the master's pictorial journey through different years, from the 1980s to 2000, in various formats."

The curatorial team includes Abigail Plascencia Gómez (Carlos Plascencia's daughter), Emma Ávila López (Manrique's widow), their son Salomón Dorado Ávila, museographer Juan Carlos Montes Rodríguez, and Ana Lizeth Mata Delgado.

Despite his cultural significance, Manrique himself, according to restorers, never sought recognition as a high artist or widespread display of his work. "It's interesting to see how, sometimes, you need that space-time for it to be valued," Mata Delgado noted, emphasizing Manrique's social approach to art, focused on local history and community engagement.

The exhibition is part of broader efforts to document and preserve Manrique's legacy. ENCRyM is also preparing a book about the restoration of his work at UAM-Xochimilco, and in collaboration with Tepito Arte Acá, continues the restoration of murals at the Los Palomares Housing Unit, with 30 of the original 32 works preserved.

"Pica, lica y califica. Daniel Manrique from the Perspective of Carlos Plascencia. Los ñeros en la cultura" is open to the public until August 1, 2025, in the Yvonne Domenge Room, located in the lobby of the “Ramón Villarreal Pérez” Library at UAM-Xochimilco. Admission is free.



Artdaily participates in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn commissions by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help us continue curating and sharing the art world’s latest news, stories, and resources with our readers.