Arantxa Ximena
Arantxa Ximena creates vibrant, layered worlds where geometry meets spirit, and art becomes ritual.
Rooted in Tibetan Buddhism and inspired by her mexican culture and community, her practice spans murals, meditation-based installations, and multidimensional art works.
From Mexico City to New York, she weaves color, light, and symbolism into living works that honor the unseen.
Through geometry, material layering, color, and light, Arantxa Ximena constructs visual systems that reflect her inner processes: not as self-expression, but as a disciplined, visual inquiry into consciousness itself.
Biography
Arantxa Ximena holds a diverse academic background, with studies in Business and Marketing in London, a Bachelor's degree in Media Communication, and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. Her artistic practice is rooted in a deep exploration of formal creative processes, thoughtfully interwoven with her ongoing Buddhist studies.
Throughout her career, she has been the recipient of multiple artist residencies and public art commissions. Arantxa consistently balances her presence in galleries and exhibitions with a strong commitment to community engagement, fostering dialogue and participation through collaborative projects.
Statement
My multidisciplinary practice investigates the intersection of material experimentation, geometry, and spiritual inquiry. Through layered textures and dynamic compositions, I aim to bridge the tangible and the ethereal—using form, color, and symbolism to evoke a sense of energy, resonance, and inner stillness. Geometry, a visual language deeply rooted in both the natural world and the artistic traditions of my native Mexico, guides my exploration of universal patterns and spiritual depth.
Materiality is central to my process. I work with elements such as fluorescent pigments, blacklight, string, glue, and light, drawing inspiration from the bold palettes and tactile environments that surrounded me growing up in Mexico City. These materials—chosen through an intuitive and experimental approach—allow me to explore tensions between structure and fluidity, presence and absence, the visible and the invisible.
Creating in New York has shaped the tempo of my work, but the essence of Mexico quietly lingers in every piece. Its presence surfaces through color, texture, and an intuitive sense of rhythm that I don’t plan—it’s just part of how I move. Though my forms are universal, there’s something unmistakably rooted that always finds its way into my work.
For nearly a decade, my study of Tibetan Buddhism has profoundly shaped both my creative process and the conceptual underpinnings of my work. I approach art-making as a meditative practice—where repetition, mindfulness, and intention become embedded in the work itself. Pieces such as Universal Compassion, woven with naturally dyed yarns from Oaxaca, embody this ethos, merging ancestral craft with contemplative inquiry. Moon Womb explores the sacred feminine, honoring cycles of creation, dissolution, and transformation.
At its core, my work is an invitation—an opening for introspection and a reconnection with one's essential nature. Whether through intricate drawings or immersive installations, I seek to create spaces where perception softens, material and meaning converge, and the ancestral presence of my homeland meets the unseen forces that shape our shared reality.
Education
2019
NYC, USA
MFA in Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts
2015 - Present
NYC/Mexico
Studies in Buddhism Kadampa Meditation Center
2012
Mexico City, Mexico
BA in Media Communications Universidad Iberoamericana
2012 - 2014
Mexico City, Mexico
Certification in logotherapy SMAEL Institute of Logotherapy
2010 - 2011
London, UK
Study exchange in Business & Marketing, Regents School Of Business & Marketing
“Creating in New York has shaped the tempo of my work, but the essence of Mexico quietly lingers in every piece.”
— Arantxa Ximena
Awards and Residencies
2022
NYC, USA
SU-CASA artist in residency award - Brooklyn Arts Council.
2022
NYC, USA
Lead artist award - NYC Mural Arts Project (NYCMAP).
2022
MA, USA
Studio Residency award - Mass Moca Studio Residency Program.
2020
NYC, USA
City Artist Corps Grant + NYFA Mural - Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx.
2019 - 2024
NYC, USA
NYC Health +Hospitals + Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fundation Mural at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx.
2019 - 2024
NYC, USA
ProjectArt Residency Program of Visual Arts
Solo Exhibitions
2017
Mexico City
Before we were-Now we are-from the lens to the fractal. Collaboration with photographer Alberto Vazques Ortíz, Galeria Oscar Roman.
2016
Mexico City
Lead artist award - NYC Mural Arts Project (NYCMAP).
2015
Mexico City
Somos Fractal, Miguel Ramos Arispe, Plaza de la Revolución.
Group Exhibitions
2024
NYC, USA
The Heart has a Womb. Final show for the course "The artist rebirth cycle" in West Chelsea Art Studios. curated by Sarah Grass.
2023
Long Island, USA
The Long Island Museum. Group exhibition: Somos. We Are (Latinx Artists).
2023
NYC, USA
"Unblock the Block" commission piece for Block inc. lobby in Soho (squarespace).
2023
NYC, USA
"If not now, then when?" Group show in honor of Womens history month at Triagle Loft by Kiinshi Gallery curated by Ana Sofia Rackanski.
2021
NYC, USA
“Material Index" at Affordable Art Fair. Curated by Keren Moscovitch.
2021
NYC, USA
The William Vale in partner with Saatchi Art. Display of "Universal Compassion" piece, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
2021
NYC, USA
"Ignite Forward" comissioned piece for Sawaya Partners Investment Bank
2021
NYC, USA
Spring forward-50 women from around the globe. (Curated & showed) St Johns Revelation Gallery.
2020
NYC, USA
EXPO 39 Winner exhibition at B.J Spoke Gallery Huntington.
2019
Miami, USA
Untitled Art Fair Miami, showing with SVA Galleries booth C37.
2019
Barcelona, Spain
Manifest Destiny Art gallery, showing “The selfie performance” documentary.
2018
NYC, USA
“Now That's What I Call Love!”, MFA Fine Arts Thesis Show, DCTV Gallery.
2017
Miami, USA
Before we were-now we are, at Cantina la 20. Art week Miami with gallery Miami LTD-ED.
2016
Chicago, USA
Geometric Complexions at Zhou B Art Center Chicago.
2016
Mexico City
Sala Ethos. Museo Franz Mayer.
2016
Aspen CO, USA
Until death do us apart at Gallery1949.
2016
Mexico City
Paralelas Contemporáneas at Galería Oscar Roman.
2016
London, UK
Crossroads Art Fair, Design Booth, Shoreditch London.
2016
NYC, USA
Giving back Art&Design: United Nations Annual Exhibition.
2016
Torino, Italy
Tempo y Memoria, Museo Internazional Italia Art.
I am constantly creating new artwork and getting involved in new projects, and I want to hear your vision.