CUCO MORALES

José Antonio “Cuco” Morales’ practice operates at the intersection of formal investigation and the construction of symbolic imaginaries. His work, which encompasses painting, sculpture, and assemblage, combines a controlled use of materials—cut metals, hand-applied paint, high-luster varnishes—with a chromatic palette that prioritizes contrast as a device for visual tension.
In series such as El alma del árbol, the arboreal motif serves as both a structural and conceptual axis: an organic element that functions simultaneously as an aesthetic figure and a metaphor for vital continuity. In later projects, such as Resplandeciente (2020), light is treated not merely as a plastic resource, but as a structural component of the discourse, emphasizing its capacity to reorganize spatial perception. In Dragón (2024), Morales incorporates references from the Chinese zodiac, shifting their reading from decorative to structural through a visual treatment that combines formal synthesis with a deliberately saturated surface.
This formal and conceptual operation allows his work to function on two levels: as an autonomous object and as part of a broader system of signs and narratives. Morales’ production is characterized by a balance between material density and symbolic precision, establishing a visual language grounded in the articulation of form, color, and structure.