November 8, 2025 – February 8, 2026

Opening: Saturday, November 8, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; performance at 5 p.m.

La Nueva Fábrica is pleased to announce Abrasar (To Burn), the first institutional solo exhibition by Josué Castro, presented in LNF’s project space, ÍNTIMO.

The project is the result of a residency collaboration between La Nueva Fábrica and The Studios at MASS MoCA, in which Josué Castro was the first artist selected. During his residency at MASS MoCA, the artist began a research process that continued in Guatemala and culminated in this exhibition project at La Nueva Fábrica.

“Never mistreat my fragility, I will be the embrace that soothes you”

Pedro Guerra

The tradition of the burning of the devil is deeply embedded in the Guatemalan popular imagination, both for its religious connotations and the hypnotic fascination of fire: the crackling wood, the flying sparks, the character reduced to ashes. Every December 7, this figure takes center stage in a spectacle where excesses and violence are thrown into the flames—a kind of bonfire of vanities that promises transformation.

But what if we are the devil that burns? Or what part of ourselves explodes along with the fireworks? These questions lie at the heart of the works in this exhibition, placing a mirror in front of how masculinity is expressed in contemporary society. Is it possible to throw patriarchal domination, violent practices, misogyny, and homophobia—ingrained since childhood—into the fire? Can we rise from the ashes with new masculinities rooted in care, tenderness, and the relinquishing of privilege?

This body of work arises from intimate questions about male domination and the urgent need to foster new ways of relating. Through an honest dialogue about being a man, the artist builds relationships with the models to question the effects of this domination. In a symbolic act, they embody the figure of the devil through a mask—allowing tenderness to emerge. The remnants of masculinity are left behind in the burned clothing. Abrasar (to reduce to embers) plays on its phonetic similarity to abrazar (to embrace)—an act of love, with the hope that after the burning, the healing embrace can come.

Sergio Coto-Rivel

Josué Castro (1983, Guatemala) is a contemporary artist who explores movement through the deconstruction of body language. His practice spans performance, installation, and documentation through photography and video. He has led projects on gender and new masculinities across various organizations in Guatemala, working to inspire a new kind of society. He won the Central American Permanent Contest 15 de Septiembre with Estertores, and the Telón Abierto competition as producer of Hiperestesia. He received the Ibero-American Performing Arts Fund for Apartamento 302. His vision of Guatemalan dance was published in Les Lettres Françaises (France), he participated in the XXIII Paiz Art Biennial, and was a resident at MASS MoCA.