In a gallery filled with swirls of color and intricate forms, sculptor Narciso Meneses Elizalde invites viewers into worlds deeply rooted in Mesoamerican traditions. His exhibition “Dreams and Reflections of Flower Worlds” presented polymer clay sculptures celebrating Indigenous culture. 

Originally from Hidalgo, Mexico, Elizalde moved to Iowa at 15 years old and grew up in Iowa City. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa in 2013.

“I’ve been doing sculpture since I was a little kid, actually with modeling clay,” he said. “It was playful and forgiving. Over time, though, my work has become more meticulous. The colors, the marbling, the way shapes flow together — now there’s a deeper intentionality behind them.”

The sculptures in the exhibition are distinguished by vibrant color combinations and symbolic imagery. They depict humans alongside what Elizalde refers to as “other-than-human beings,” engaged in rituals connected to renewal, gratitude, and harmony with the natural world.

Current Public Space One artist in residence Syon Davis was particularly drawn to Elizalde’s use of color in his exhibit.

“The richness of Nars’ use of color really sticks out to me,” Davis said. “[Narciso’s] work really reminds me that the work around the ritual specialists is like a portal for us to be able to experience the fullness of reality, which isn’t even 2D or 3D, it’s 5D.”

Elizalde’s themes of spirituality and narrative are what caught the attention of PS1 Facilities and Gallery Director Hannah Givler when reading about his exhibit proposal. 

“All of the volunteer team had a chance to read it, [and] see images of his work,” Givler said. “I think one of the things about Narciso’s work that the team responded to was the depth of storytelling inside of it.”

Givler was drawn to the level of intricate detail within the work “Winged Mirror Emerging Reborn and Deified from Sacred Water Basin.”

Made from polymer clay and an obsidian mirror, it consisted of a brightly-colored green and orange mirror above a purple water basin. The mirror itself was set inside an intricately tied knot from which two figures intertwined above it. 

Givler pointed out the finer details including the blue eyes lining the wings and the nine shell icons inside the water basin, and she noted each icon contained spirals of color. 

“Each of these elements is truly intentionally placed,” Givler said. “Just zooming in, seeing the individual spirals within them, it really touches me as somebody who also makes things.”

Elizalde is deliberate in his use of cultural symbols, emphasizing the responsibility of using Mesoamerican culture as inspiration in an ethical way. 

“I was concerned with how careless people are with this kind of thing,” he said. “I really wanted to actually learn and know what it was that I was utilizing in my work more in depth.”

His commitment to studying traditional philosophies has brought him into contact with ritual specialists in Mexico, who continue to preserve ancestral knowledge.

Family and community also influence his work. On his mother’s side, relatives were traditionally trained healers, and their spiritual practices remain an important part of his personal history.

Today, he lives in Cedar Rapids with his two sisters and spends much of his time in nature, finding connection in the presence of rivers, plants, and animals.

Ritual specialists have shaped the direction of his artistic work. He views them as cultural anchors whose knowledge could be influential worldwide.

“Their work is vital, not only in their communities but to everybody,” Elizalde said. “Especially with our situation right now globally.”

In addition to his sculptures, Elizalde is participating in a documentary project. He is collaborating with Revitalizadores del Papel, a collective supported by PS1’s Big Field Fund, to help revive the manufacture and ritual use of amate paper in the Otomí-Tepehua Highlands of Mexico.

This papermaking practice, which dates back over three millennia, remains a central part of ritual life. For ritual specialists, paper cutouts are not mere representations but embodiments of spiritual forces.

“Everything has a force,” Elizalde said. “Plants, animals, wind, water — the world is alive with sacred energy in motion.”