Txema Novelo
Txema Novelo’s practice is dedicated to the realm of low-budget filmmaking and video art, exploring the relationship between Western culture and its impact on Latin America, First Nations, and Asia. As a Mexican filmmaker, his work grapples with the complex fusion of cultural identities—pre-Hispanic Mexica and colonial Spanish—that define Mexican identity, often evoking a sense of alienation from these foundational forces. Seeking forms of dialogue between these two primary sources of Mexican identity, his practice oscillates between decolonization and denunciation. Through this lens, Novelo crafts narratives that celebrate an identity that is difficult, yet equally rich.
During his residency, Novelo continues to develop his project Microcine, combining his interest in small film formats and small narratives. The final product of the residency will be a trailer for a nonexistent film, The Blood of Lhasa. This trailer will incorporate research and interviews conducted during his stay at Fonderie Darling, transforming them into moving images. These moving images will form a poetic, audience-assisted narrative that constructs the life and works of the beloved and extremely talented Mexican-Quebecois singer, Lhasa de Sela.
Join us on June 30th at 6PM for a complimentary screening of Novelo’s works at Vidéographe.
This residency is supported by the Support System for Creation and Cultural Projects SACPC from the Secretariat of Culture of Mexico through its program of Artistic Residencies.
Biography
Txema Novelo is a graduate from the National School of Cinematographic Arts in Mexico City and LE FRESNOY in France. His video artwork has been exhibited internationally at the Moscow Biennial of Young Art, and the Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement in Geneva, as well as in solo and group presentations at art institutions such as the Museo Tamayo, the Reina Sofía Museum, La Casa Encendida, the Zamek Ujazdowski Museum, Fundación Telefónica Buenos Aires, the SPIRAL building in Tokyo and the REDCAT CalArts Theater among others. He has been in artist residencies at HALLE 14 in Leipzig, La Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, Casa Wabi in Mexico, and the Tokyo Arts & Space (TOKAS). His films have been selected for festivals including the Shanghai International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand, INDIELISBOA, FICUNAM, the Beijing International Short Film Festival, and the Hiroshima International Film Festival. He was a Berlinale Talent in 2018.
Recent exhibitions
| 2026 | Microcine, solo screening, Vidéographe, Montreal, CA |
| 2023 | Tercer Ojo, Tercer Mente, Tercer Mundo, solo screening, Image Forum, Tokyo, JP |
| 2019 | Videobox: Bestiare 9, solo screening, Le Carreau du Temple, Paris, FR |
| 2017 | Rock & Roll Sagrado, solo screening, Museo Tamayo, CDMX, MX Cities of the World, group exhibition, Atelier Nord, Oslo, NR Panorama 19, group exhibition, Studio National des Arts Contemporains Le Fresnoy, Tourcoing, FR |
| 2015 | Art Social 15, solo exhibition, House of St. Barnabas, London, UK |
| 2014 | Still Movie, solo screening, Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, CDMX, MX Festival del Bosque GERMINAL, group exhibition, Casa del Lago, CDMX, MX |