North Riverside Park Mall presents Octavio the largest Paper Mache Artist from Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World

North Riverside Park Mall is proud to host the restoration of Octavio, the largest and most ambitious Paper Mache sculpture that premiered at the Miltary Gardens of Cantigny Park in Summer, 2022 as part of the US Premiere, Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World. The giant octopus came from the imagination and creative hands of the original six Mexican artisans, in collaboration with local artists and community members. Since the Cantigny exhibition ended in October, 2022, some of the 49 Alebrijes have been restored and exhibited at The Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM; The Gail Borden Library in Elgin, IL and at Northern Illinois University. NRPM hosted 3 Mexico City based artistisans in 2023 to collaborate with local community members to restore Jonah the Whale, and now is pleased to feature 4 artists over a 2-month period restoring the largest and most extensive of the creatures, before it makes its debut at Lakeside Shopping Center in New Orleans, LA. See the artists at work and visit them in the North Atrium Court, near Round1, through the end of March. Octavio will be available to see through mid June.

What is Catoneria?

Cartoneria is a Mexican Folk art form that involves the creation of decorative items using paper and cardboard. The term comes from the Spanish word “carton,” which means cardboard. The process of cartoneria typically involves shaping and gluing layers of paper into the desired form, and then painting the finished product. It has a long history in Mexico. Cartoneria artists often work in family or community workshops, passing down techniques and styles from generation to generation. Cartoneria is a broader and more recognized artform that includes the art of Alebrijes.

What are Alebrijes?

The word alebrijes, pronounced ah-leh-bree-hehs, refers to imaginary creatures that possess elements from different animals. They originated in the 1930’s from the vivid dreams of Mexico City artist, Pedro Linares. The artistic tradition of alebrijes gained popularity with “Coco,” the 2017 Disney Pixar film.

Meet the Artist

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR MAKING THE CARTONERIAS EXHIBITION POSSIBLE:
THE MEXICAN CULTURAL CENTER DUPAGE, FOR CURATING, COLLABORATING AND COORDINATING THE EXHIBITION & THE ROBERT R. MCCORMICK FOUNDATION’S CANTIGNY PARK, WHEATON, IL FOR THEIR VISION AND INITIATING THE EXHIBITION.