The Mexican-born American artist Luis Sahagun's Lo Que Grita Mi Piel (That Which My Skin Screams, 2020), is an anti-colonial wearable art sculpture that also functions as a 3D map, exposing the cartography of spiritual wounds inflicted by war and conquest. The sculpture was displayed at Governors Island, New York, for an annual exhibition (September 1-October 1, 2023), hosted by the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), a non-profit arts organisation shedding light on new voices in the contemporary art scene. Sahagun's wearable sculpture embodies tales of cultural survival told through the curative elements traditionally employed by curanderos, or indigenous healers, such as the beads from Judeo-Christian saints after colonisation of the Americas. Using plastic statues of La Virgen de Guadalupe (patron saint of Mexico and a symbol for immigrants), bought in the La Villita neighbourhood of Chicago, Sahagun confronts the association La Virgen de Guadalupe's iconography with ideas of liberation or salvation, which stemmed from a need for cultural reclamation, a hopeful ray of dignity in the face of colonisation and exploitation. The image of La Virgen de Guadalupe was used by the labour leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez as the banner image in his campaigns for improved rights for those in the agricultural or farm work sector in America. Sahagun refers to his sculpture as a surrogate, meaning a substitute and a guardian of the lost indigenous history.

Sahagun, who lives in Chicago and is represented by New York’s Latchkey Gallery, regularly embeds indigenous rituals and ceremonies into his contemporary art practice. For instance, in his Limpia Portrait Series (2022-23), he has sought guidance from the Aztec medicine wheel, which is the fundamental centre of Indigenous worldview and spirituality. Sahagun, repurposes the medicine wheel into a metaphysical prompter for his portrait series, aligning decisions of mediums, objects and colours to be incorporated into a particular portrait. The wheel comprises “sacred” cardinal directions, equidistant from the centre of “Indigenous spirituality”; each cardinal direction represents a colour; these colour codes symbolise human races, seasons of the year, elements of nature, and animal medicine. These depictive ciphers are carriers of Sahagun's connection to the world around and the world within.

Each of Sahagun's portraits result from customised treatment of the represented individual, intending to spiritually cleanse the subject's spirit via herbs, energy work and rituals. While making these portraits, Sahagun assumes the role of a spiritual consultant. He assesses the person's energy by questioning them about the burdens they wish to release. He then uses the medicine wheel to procure the required cleansings, healings and/or purifications as he taps into the spirit world by connecting with his Nagual, or spirit guide. These cleansing rituals are performed over several sessions, featuring custom-made resin beads “charged” with plant medicine, crystals, chants and photographic images that are important to the person. Another critical aspect of making these portrait series is that Sahagun draws facial features in charcoal and adds elements from miniature  animal sculptures, also made by him, to “communicate” a recommended medicine.

Sahagun's art practice references lost Indigenous history and creates a sense of belonging for members of his community and beyond. Sahagun arrived in the United States in 1985, remaining undocumented until he was naturalised in 1995. Frequently subjected to xenophobia and microaggressions, Sahagun fostered a spirit of reclamation with a creative focus, which powers his socially engaged art practice. This is also manifested in his teaching initiatives or, as he describes it "student-led pedagogy", in which he uses his works of art to facilitate enriching and holistic discussions, lessons and workshops. Sahagun's practice is a testament to the artist's transcendence from a focus on self-expression to community engagement, highlighting the purpose of his practice to promote dialogue, awareness and creating ties with others, including through his teaching.

Speaking with STIR, Sahagun says, "In teaching initiatives, I am committed to ensuring that diversity is understood as a valuable form of cultural wealth. I use my artwork to comment on important societal issues around race, class, gender, and age—and to highlight injustices. I see my artworks as educational, they serve to inform and educate audiences."

Having inherited a complex identity formation dating back to the historical encounter between the Aztec and Spanish conquistadors, Sahagun promotes an understanding of the dichotomies he embodies through his practice. He notes, "I metaphorically blend and mix dichotomies of ideas, materials and art processes. For example, my materials are silicone, lumber, drywall, concrete and hardware. When mixed with beads, sea shells, rope and maize, these atypical fine arts materials create artworks that celebrate traditional craft with contemporary art practices." Sahagun finds a softer world between the contrasts of his lived experiences, enabling him to reimagine new forms, breathing life into forgotten ancestors, opening a portal into his mythical heritage and, most importantly, becoming the force that unites cultural origins with contemporary reality.