RIP Jorge Guerra, a Mérida artist who brought life and humor to reclaimed wood
The art community is mourning the death of Mérida sculptor Jorge Guerra, known for his reclaimed wooden branches sold on the Paseo Montejo as charming, often whimsical pieces that capture the essence of nature and humanity.
His unique artistic vision and commitment to environmental sustainability made him a beloved figure in Mexico’s contemporary art scene. His passing was announced Tuesday by Ernesto Novelo, a friend and painter.
Guerra was born in June 1956 in Huhi, Yucatán. He had no artistic training, having previously owned a restaurant, that became his studio after it closed. Most recently, he was part of February’s MEL Art Studio Tour.
A friend described him as being “allergic to praise and as reluctant as ever to acknowledge the success of his work … indifferent to the acceptance his work has received.”
But his sculptures were exhibited in top-tier venues, such as the MACAY contemporary art museum and the Mexican Embassy in Austria. His irreverent, but beautiful pieces, are also featured in numerous private collections in Mérida, the United States, and Europe.
Guerra’s creative process was deeply rooted in his philosophy of redemption and rebirth. Rather than seeking pristine materials for his work, he deliberately sought discarded wood—fragments abandoned in carpentry workshops, pieces left after storms, and remnants that others had deemed worthless.
“These pieces of wood speak to me,” Guerra once explained. “They each have their own history, and my job is not to impose my will upon them but to discover what they want to become.”
In his studio in Lourdes neighborhood, visitors would often find Guerra examining a piece of wood for days before making a single cut, a testament to his patient and intuitive approach to sculpture. He believed that within each discarded piece lay a hidden potential, a second life waiting to emerge under the right hands.
Guerra’s work gained recognition for its remarkable ability to highlight the natural beauty and grain of the wood while transforming it into evocative forms—human figures caught in moments of contemplation, abstract representations of emotion, and celebrations of Yucatecan cultural heritage. His technical mastery allowed him to preserve the wood’s natural characteristics while guiding it into new expressions.
Beyond his artistic achievements, Guerra was known for his dedication to environmental education. He frequently opened his studio to young artists and students, teaching workshops on sustainable art practices and the importance of seeing value in materials others had discarded.
“We don’t need to consume more,” he would often tell his students, “we need to see more deeply what already exists around us.”
Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.
