Modesto Covarrubias

Modesto Covarrubias is an artist, educator, and arts advocate whose work explores the contradictions inherent in traditional masculine ideals, such as emotional repression, hyper-competitiveness, and emotional stoicism. His work redefines strength not as an absence of vulnerability but as its very embrace. Through a dynamic practice that spans drawing, installation, printmaking, textiles, and performance, Covarrubias examines the often-toxic representations of masculinity in pop culture, inviting viewers to reconsider their own relationship with power, vulnerability, and personal transformation. Whether through the tactile intimacy of textiles or the immersive scale of installations, his work engages audiences to confront their own relationship with power structures, identity, and the narratives we inherit.

His work has been featured in venues such as the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, the Children’s Museum of the Arts in New York, and the Galleria Civica di Modena in Italy among numerous other venues.

In addition to his artistic practice, Covarrubias is a dedicated educator and community leader. He teaches at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, where he fosters critical thinking and creative expression among the next generation of artists. His commitment to the arts extends to his advocacy work as a commissioner for the City of Berkeley’s Civic Arts Commission, where he advocates for the transformative power of the arts within public life.

As an artist, educator, and arts advocate Modesto Covarrubias continues to shape conversations around art, culture, and the environment, while fostering collaboration and community engagement in all facets of his work.