Alvaro Azcarraga

Alvaro Azcarraga is a Mexican artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Merging art, science, and cultural history, his practice revolves around maize (Zea mays) as both a biological entity and a symbol of complex colonial narratives. By tracing how maize transforms into “corn” when it crosses the U.S.–Mexico border, he reveals the social, political, and scientific forces at play in this seemingly simple shift in language and identity.

With a background in Molecular and Cellular Biology, he incorporates genetic engineering techniques to queer scientific frameworks, disrupting conventional understandings of the natural world. For the past five years, his work has included laser-etching maps of Tenochtitlan onto tortillas, gathering maize seeds from around the globe, and growing various maize strains to have genetic-based conversations. Through these projects, he challenges the artifice inherent in the term “natural,” exposing how histories of scientific colonialism continue to shape our relationships with plant life. Ultimately, his work envisions alternative worlds where human-environment connections are reimagined—shifting away from extractive models toward more inclusive and regenerative futures.

Alvaro currently serves as Director of Operations at BioBAT Art Space and is a NEW INC Y11 Member (2024–2025). He has held notable residencies at Genspace (2024) and the University at Buffalo’s Coalesce Artist Residency (2022–23) and was awarded the Theresa Cha Fellowship at the Berkeley Art Museum (2018). Alvaro earned an M.F.A. in Design Media Arts from UCLA (2022) and dual B.A. degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Art Practice (Honors) from UC Berkeley (2018).