Biography

The artistic practice of Julio César Morales (b. 1966, Tijuana) employs a range of media and visual strategies to explore issues of migration, underground economies, and labor, on personal and global scales. He works by whatever means necessary: in a series of watercolor illustrations, Morales diagramed means of human trafficking in passenger vehicles, while in other projects he employed the DJ turntable, neon signs, the historical reenactment of a famous meal, or the conventions of an artist-run gallery to explore social interaction and political perspectives.

 

Morales’ artwork has been shown at venues internationally, including; the Lyon Biennale, France; Istanbul Biennale, Turkey; Los Angeles County Art Museum, Los Angeles; Singapore Biennale, Singapore; Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany; Prospect 3, New Orleans; SFMOMA, San Francisco; Perez Art Museum, Miami; Museo Tamayo, Mexico City; Museo del Barrio, New York City; The UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, amongst others. His work is in private and public collections including MoMA, New York; The Los Angeles County Art Museum, Los Angeles; The Kadist Foundation, San Francisco and Paris; The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Deutsche Bank, Germany; and The Office of Art in Embassies. Morales has been written about in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Artforum, Frieze, Flash Art, Art Nexus, and Art in America.

Works
  • Julio César Morales, Celestinos Cayendo, 2023
    Celestinos Cayendo, 2023
  • Julio César Morales, La Luz Entre Nosotros/The Light Between Us, 2021
    La Luz Entre Nosotros/The Light Between Us, 2021
  • Julio César Morales, Julio César Morales: Invaders, Phoenix Art Museum, 2019
    Julio César Morales: Invaders, Phoenix Art Museum, 2019
  • Julio César Morales, Line Cutters, 2019
    Line Cutters, 2019
  • Julio César Morales, Strangers When We Meet #1, 2019
    Strangers When We Meet #1, 2019
  • Julio César Morales, Strangers When We Meet #4, 2019
    Strangers When We Meet #4, 2019
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "Broken Line," as part of "This World Is Not For You," Gallery Wendi Norris Offsite at Galería CURRO, Guadalajara, Mexico (duplicate), 2018
    Installation view, "Broken Line," as part of "This World Is Not For You," Gallery Wendi Norris Offsite at Galería CURRO, Guadalajara, Mexico (duplicate), 2018
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "This World Is Not For You," Gallery Wendi Norris Offsite at Galería CURRO, Guadalajara, Mexico (duplicate), 2018
    Installation view, "This World Is Not For You," Gallery Wendi Norris Offsite at Galería CURRO, Guadalajara, Mexico (duplicate), 2018
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "We are the Dead and We are the Dead: Part 2," part of "This World Is Not For You," Gallery Wendi Norris Offsite at Galería CURRO, Guadalajara, Mexico, 2018
    Installation view, "We are the Dead and We are the Dead: Part 2," part of "This World Is Not For You," Gallery Wendi Norris Offsite at Galería CURRO, Guadalajara, Mexico, 2018
  • Julio César Morales, We are the Dead: Part 2, 2018
    We are the Dead: Part 2, 2018
  • Julio César Morales, Day Dreaming #5, 2017
    Day Dreaming #5, 2017
  • Julio César Morales, Cuatro Caminos, 2017
    Cuatro Caminos, 2017
  • Julio César Morales, Boy in suitcase, 2015
    Boy in suitcase, 2015
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "Boy in Suitcase" as part of "Julio César Morales: Emotional Violence," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2015
    Installation view, "Boy in Suitcase" as part of "Julio César Morales: Emotional Violence," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2015
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "Julio César Morales: Emotional Violence," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2015
    Installation view, "Julio César Morales: Emotional Violence," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2015
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "Julio César Morales: Emotional Violence," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2015
    Installation view, "Julio César Morales: Emotional Violence," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2015
  • Julio César Morales, "Subterranean Homesick Cumbia," Prospect.3, New Orleans International Contemporary Art Biennial, New Orleans, LA, 2014
    "Subterranean Homesick Cumbia," Prospect.3, New Orleans International Contemporary Art Biennial, New Orleans, LA, 2014
  • Julio César Morales, "Subterranean Homesick Cumbia," Prospect.3, New Orleans International Contemporary Art Biennial, New Orleans, LA, 2014
    "Subterranean Homesick Cumbia," Prospect.3, New Orleans International Contemporary Art Biennial, New Orleans, LA, 2014
  • Julio César Morales, "Subterranean Homesick Cumbia," Prospect.3, New Orleans International Contemporary Art Biennial, New Orleans, LA, 2014
    "Subterranean Homesick Cumbia," Prospect.3, New Orleans International Contemporary Art Biennial, New Orleans, LA, 2014
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "Ice Sculpture after Jamaican Sound Systems" as part of "Night Shade/Solanaceae," Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL , 2013
    Installation view, "Ice Sculpture after Jamaican Sound Systems" as part of "Night Shade/Solanaceae," Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL , 2013
  • Julio César Morales, Installation view, "Julio César Morales: Forever Now!," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2013
    Installation view, "Julio César Morales: Forever Now!," Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, CA, 2013
  • Julio César Morales, We are the Dead, 2013
    We are the Dead, 2013
  • Julio César Morales, We are the Dead #5, 2013
    We are the Dead #5, 2013
  • Julio César Morales, Undocumented Interventions #21, 2011
    Undocumented Interventions #21, 2011
  • Julio César Morales, Undocumented Interventions #17, 2010
    Undocumented Interventions #17, 2010
  • Julio César Morales, Undocumented Interventions #8, 2007
    Undocumented Interventions #8, 2007
Exhibitions
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