The Texture of Memory: Archive and Erasure in the Work of Mauricio Samayoa

The article examines the recent practice of Salvadoran artist Mauricio Samayoa (b. 1989), focusing on works developed during his residency at Lab of Experimental Art (LEA) in Madrid. Through series such as *Memory Bundles* and *Bit by Bit*, Samayoa transforms personal documents, childhood drawings, photographs, and certificates into sealed, inaccessible packages—anti-archives that deliberately block the retrieval of memory. A conversation with curator Jorge de la Cruz and curator Josseline Pinto frames the artist's exploration of identity, trauma, migration, and El Salvador's political history, where absence and erasure carry as much weight as visible traces.

This work matters because it challenges conventional notions of the archive as a transparent repository of truth, instead presenting memory as a tactile, unstable, and politically charged construction. By rendering his own biographical records deliberately unreadable, Samayoa questions how power administers personal and collective memory, and how individuals can reclaim agency over their own narratives. The piece situates his practice within broader debates about archival theory, iconoclasm, and the politics of access, making it relevant to contemporary discussions on memory, migration, and institutional critique in the visual arts.