Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to announce the representation of Hilda Palafox (b. 1982, Mexico City), in collaboration with Proyectos Monclova in Mexico City.
Hilda Palafox has developed a distinctive pictorial language characterized by the solidity of her figures, the economy of their forms, and an extraordinary sense of physical presence. Through a deliberate synthesis of anatomical features, textures, and individual attributes, Palafox shifts expression toward the body itself. Gesture becomes a language: the inclination of a figure, the movement of a hand, or the encounter between two bodies suggest an entire narrative.
Their monumental proportions recall the visual language developed by Mexican muralists during the first half of the twentieth century, yet Palafox approaches this inheritance from a different perspective. Her female figures are not simply allegories of the land, the nation, or motherhood. They occupy the center of their own narratives, and their strength is expressed as much through mutual support and collective action as through their physical presence.
Palafox's artistic education offers another way of understanding the breadth of her practice. Trained in design at Mexico City's School of Design of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, she encountered an approach to artistic education that brought together theory and the practical knowledge of materials and fabrication. In a tradition reminiscent of the Bauhaus, the conception of an image or an object and its material realization were understood as closely connected processes. This education cultivated a lasting engagement with making, from the first exploratory sketch to the finished object.
That relationship to materials remains fundamental to her work. Moving between intimate paintings, large-scale murals, and sculptures, Palafox maintains a direct involvement in the making of each piece. The same hands that draw and paint also model the clay, exploring how an image changes when translated from a flat surface into a physical object. Her practice is distinguished not only by the diversity of its media but by the continuity of a visual language that she develops through each of them.
The announcement follows Petricor, Palafox's exhibition at Mariane Ibrahim in Paris in September 2026, which brought together paintings and ceramic reliefs exploring the relationships between human bodies, the natural environment, and the networks that sustain life.
“There is something deeply special about working with someone you have long admired. Joining Mariane Ibrahim feels like a dream come true and a meaningful step in my practice. It means a great deal to find a shared sense of possibility. A space where my work can continue to grow, take unexpected directions, and enter into new conversations. I am grateful and proud to begin this new chapter as part of this team and such an extraordinary community of artists.” - Hilda Palafox
Hilda Palafox (b. 1982, Mexico; lives and works in Mexico City) studied Design at the Escuela de Diseño of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA), where she earned her bachelor's degree in 2005, followed by a diploma in Editorial Production in 2006.
Her recent solo exhibitions include De tierra y susurros at Sean Kelly, New York (2026); A una palma de distancia at Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City (2025); Hierba mala at the Museo de Arte de Zapopan, Mexico (2023); A través at Hashimoto Contemporary, New York (2022); and El afán de encontrarse a uno mismo at Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City (2022).
Palafox has participated in group exhibitions at MoMA PS1, New York (2026); the Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City (2025); Nakata Museum, Onomichi, Japan (2021); and Fullerton Museum Center, California (2019). Her mural interventions have been presented internationally, including at the Museo de Arte de Zapopan, Mexico (2023); F-Pico Arena, Fukuyama, Japan (2023); and L'art Habite la Ville, Mons, Belgium (2022).
In 2026, she was an artist-in-residence at the Centre Culturel Dora Maar in Ménerbes, France. Her work is held in the collections of the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, and El Espacio 23, Miami.
