Cekouat Elim León Peralta (1996) is an origami artist based in Mexico City. He has practiced the art and science of paper folding for 16 years, and began designing his own models using single uncut squares of paper in 2013.
Born in a family of artisans, musicians and prehispanic dancers, his childhood was marked by constant trips to the deserts and forests of Mexico, experiences that inspired him to get a degree in Biology. Nowadays his origami designs reflect the way he perceives the animals and plants around him, and for that purpose he uses a variety of hand-made papers from all over the world.
Currently, he researches the cultural and botanical changes of amate, Mexican bark paper, working together with native amateros in San Pablito, Puebla. He is also interested in the use of orchids in the production of different artistic expressions in Mexico.
His work has been exhibited in institutions like the Franz Mayer Museum (Mexico), the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum of the Missouri Botanical Garden (USA), the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), and the Escuela Museo de Origami Zaragoza, EMOZ (Spain).
About Cekouat León
My work lies between cultural syncretism and biological appreciation. Just as fibers intermingle in a sheet of paper and creases connect to each other in an origami design, I attempt to establish horizontal communication with the natural subjects I represent and the traditions behind the materials I use.
By observing the species of my interest in the wild and biological collections, I use paper folding as a tool to understand wildlife and showcase its intrinsic value. Through working directly with native paper makers and scientists, every new design encapsulates social and natural history, intending to provoke in the viewer empathy and environmental awareness.
Artist statement
Cekouat León and Dr. James Ojascastro (extreme right) with Otomí amate paper makers in San Pablito, Puebla, México. 2022
CV
BiOrigami. Solo show. Museo de Historia Natural y Cultura Ambiental, Mexico City, Mexico. July-September, 2024.
Salvar al axolote para salvar Xochimilco. Group show. Tienda UNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. June 20-September 20, 2024.
Bark Rhythms: Contemporary Innovations and Ancestral Traditions. Group show. Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking. Atlanta, GA. EUA. May 6-August 23, 2024.
Eco-Origami. Solo show. Central Library, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. April 25, 2024-May 12, 2024.
BiOrigami. Solo show. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. November 21, 2023-January 31, 2024.
NATURE. Group show. International online exhibition hosted by Barbagelata Contemporary Art Foundation. Barcelona, Spain. July 30-August 15, 2023.
Origami: del papel a la forma. Group show. Head of the Miahuatlán Municipality, Oaxaca, Mexico. July 28-July 29, 2023.
Orquídeas y colibríes. Solo show. Escuela Museo de Origami Zaragoza (EMOZ), Zaragoza, Spain. July 24-September 17, 2023.
Origami & Naturaleza. Solo show. Casa Colibrí, Parque Ecológico de la Ciudad de México, Mexico City, Mexico. May 29, 2022.
Orquídeas y sus polinizadores. Group show. Franz Mayer Museum, Mexico City, Mexico. May 18-23, 2021.
Origami International Exhibition. Group show. Schaumburg Library, Illinois, USA. July 21-23, 2019
Leafing through History: Plants that make Paper. Group show. Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri, USA. June 14-October 27, 2019.
El arte de las orquídeas. Group show. Franz Mayer Museum, Mexico City, Mexico. October 10-15, 2015.
Selected exhibitions
Bark Rhythms: Bast Fibers & Mexican Amate. Online lecture with James Ojascastro for the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking. June 18, 2024
Entrelazando fibras: una perspectiva global del papel artesanal. Jardín Botánico, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico. March 22, 2024.
Unfolding orchid diversity through paper folding. MonocotsVII Conference. San José, Costa Rica. March 14, 2024.
BiOrigami: Entendiendo la diversidad biológica a través del plegado de papel. Jardín Botánico, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico. January 26, 2024.
How shaping paper is shaping my life. Online lecture for the Community for Creators of Origami. October 14, 2023
Producción de papel amate y pegamento de orquídeas. Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia (ENAH), Mexico City, Mexico. May 11, 2023
Mexican paper: between animals and spirits, tradition and innovation. III Conference for Origami Creators, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. February 10-12, 2023
Insectos de origami. Collaborative workshop. Museo Universitario de Historia Natural, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Mexico State, Mexico. October 22, 2022
Folding Hillstars: a journey of origami hummingbirds. Online lecture for Foldeas: Sharing Ideas through Origami, hosted by Gerardo Gacharná. May 7, 2022
La revolución del origami. Group lecture. Instituto de Matemáticas (IMATE), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. April 29, 2017
Origami: ciencia, filosofía y arte para la paz. Lecture and workshop. Beppo Bazar. Puebla, Mexico. November 17, 2015
Selected lectures & public workshops
Articles
León-Peralta, C.E.. 2023. Unfolding amate: History and Innovations of an Ancient Paper. The Paper, 142: 12-13.
León-Peralta, C.E.. & Ojascastro, J. 2024. The sticky relationship between orchids and Mexican amate paper: present and possible past. Economic Botany (2024).
León-Peralta, C.E. 2024. Amate in the 21st century: Between Mountains and Dollars. Hand Papermaking. In press.
Awards and Recognitions
Schultes Award by the Society for Ethnobotany for the project "Mexican Traditional Paper: Connecting Past Knowledge with Modern Practices". June, 2023.
Special guest at the 7th Argentina Origami Convention. Córdoba, Argentina. October 11-13, 2024.
Special guest at the 10th Mexican Origami Convention. Mexico City, Mexico. October 25-27, 2024.
Commercial work
Workshop for the 5th Origami World Marathon. Sept 14-15, 2024
Series of origami sharks designs and workshops for Fundación Coppel and the Museo de Historia Natural. May-June, 2024.
Origami teacher at Hotaru Centro Cultural. April 2024 - Present.
Origami workshop for the Festival Flores y Jardines. April 28, 2024.
Trainer and consultant for Floragami. December 2023 - January 2024.
Workshop on amate and papermaking at Missouri Botanical Garden. June 1, 2022.
Workshop on paperfolding and papermaking at Papel Oaxaca. April 15-16, 2022.
Workshops on sizing Japanese paper for origami at Papiros Mx. October 5, 2019 & August 27, 2022
Workshops on origami orchids and pollinators at the orchid shows by the Mexican Orchid Asociation. Casa del Risco Museum and Franz Mayer Museum. 2019 - Present.
Permanent collections
Brown Center Biocultural collection, Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri, USA.
Escuela Museo de Origami Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Education
B. Sc. Biology. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2022.
M. Sc. Biological Sciences. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in progress.
© 2024 Cekouat León
