Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Mendi.
Hi Alex, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a visual artist born and raised in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I’ve always been interested in the arts in some way or another. I danced competitively for almost a decade, which gave me a strong connection to music, expression, and my body. I enjoyed being a part of my school’s artistic programs (plays, talent shows, and literature competitions). As I got older, I learned to play the guitar, ukulele, and a bit of piano and drums—skills I still cherish today.
Photography was always a part of my life, even when I wasn’t fully conscious of it. My dad would always bring a camera with him when we traveled, and he would let me and my brother use it to fool around. When I was sixteen, after a trip to the U.S. with my dance team, I decided I wanted to get my first camera when I got back home. That marked the beginning of my photographic journey. I enjoyed capturing nature, my family, my friends —anything that would make me look twice. The camera became a tool for connection, a portal into the intricacies of the world around me. I felt like it made it possible for me to connect with parts of my country and my culture that felt out of reach before.
Even if I always felt drawn to the arts, I never really felt like they were something I could seriously pursue. After graduating high school, I chose to enroll on a Business Engineering degree because that’s what I thought I should do, what people expected me to do. Two years into my degree at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) —known for its rigorous engineering programs— I realized it wasn’t the right fit. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled; I craved connection and yearned for a creative outlet.
Luckily for me, a very influential professor in my life —Michael Benedict, an artist himself who had always encouraged my photography and artistic exploration—reached out and suggested I apply for a scholarship at SCAD. He supported me throughout the entire admission process, and once I got in, I knew I wanted to change direction. With my parents’ support, I left UVG and moved to Savannah to attend SCAD in 2022. I graduated in May 2025, and my experience has been nothing but eye-opening and enriching—both personally and professionally.
Today, I work primarily with photography, often combining it with screen printing, analog photographic processes, video, and writing. My fine art practice acts as a translator between my inner world and the people around me. I’m passionate about exploring the depths of the subconscious mind and how it shapes our perceptions of reality. I’m beyond excited for this next chapter in my life—and to continue being a lifelong learner with a curious spirit and an open mind.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think any journey is a smooth one, but that’s part of the beauty of living: forging your own path through exploration and failure. As artists, it’s common to go through creative blocks and experience imposter syndrome. It’s hard not to identify with these voices of fear and doubt, as they often speak louder than we would like. But every act of creativity, love, or passion—however small—reminds me that we were made to create and express ourselves. And that, in my opinion, is reason enough to keep going.
I work across multiple mediums and my inspiration comes from a myriad of sources, so it’s hard to narrow all these inputs into a cohesive and visually strong outcome. Over time, I’ve learned that the best I can do is lean into the things that interest me—even if, at first, they seem random or disconnected. They’re all part of my visual language and the way I take in the world. By trusting my inner compass and leaning into the weird things that fascinate me, it’s easier to find points of connection with the world around me and create work that feels genuine and true to my vision.
My communities—my family, peers, colleagues, my friends, and other groups centered around movement, like dancing, slacklining, and yoga—are the best support network to lean on when things get hard. I’m usually very reserved with my work and things I struggle with, but every time I do open up and speak about what’s troubling me, I find comfort in knowing I’m not alone and people have similar fears as I do. It’s so easy to make things bigger than they are in our heads, and it’s only when we channel them out—be it through a conversation, writing, or any kind of artistic expression—that they become manageable and not as scary.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m interested in the human body, the mundane, rich textures, and anything that brings me child-like amusement. I’m often obsessing over fruits, details of human eyes, hands or lips, dead bugs, water, and mold. A weird mix, I know.
I think my curiosity and quirkiness sets me apart from others. A few years ago I started doing something that made me feel a bit crazy at times, but it was a constant reminder of all the beauty that surrounds me. I started carrying a tiny pocket notebook and my favorite ink pen everywhere I went—and I mean everywhere! I would keep my antennas up, ready to jot down anything that caught my ear in conversation, always noting where I was and who I was with. It became an obsession pretty quickly, it felt as if every conversation was begging to be remembered, and so I listened and kept writing. I filled up dozens of notebooks with random quotes from professors, friends, movies, books, and even strangers’ conversations I eavesdropped on. My friends started calling me “el escriba” (the scribe) because of how obsessed I was with note taking. Now, the obsession isn’t as strong as it once was, but I still carry my notebook almost everywhere I go, and the idea of being open to capturing the magic that surrounds me persists. Every time I jump off the couch and dash to another room, my friends know exactly what’s happening—whatever they just said is going straight into the notebook. I did a video—The Simple Life—inspired by this obsession, you can find it and many others on my YouTube channel.
I’m most proud of my first solo exhibition of my work: La Ilusión de Permanencia. The show featured multiple bodies of work exploring identity through photography, serigraphy, video, and interactive installation. Drawing over 150 attendees, the event included live music and immersive elements such as a real-time CCTV room, a short-film theatre, and a slideshow projector. The show sparked meaningful conversations and connections, and it was a confirmation that I am on the right path. You can find more information on the main series that were displayed—La Ilusión de Permanencia and El Paisaje Inefable—on my website.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Be curious! There is so much magic happening in the world at all times, and it’s up to us to tune in to it. When you have the energy for it, ask questions, get involved in conversations, and be open to learning new things. If we commit to being lifelong learners, nothing we experience will ever be boring.
In his book The Creative Act, Rick Rubin gives endless amounts of advice for artists in how to cultivate an open mindset in their art and personal lives. It was hard not to try and quote every line in the book, but this is one that resonates with me: “Living life as an artist is a practice. You are either engaging in the practice or you are not. We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output. The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world”.
I feel like I am a million different personalities trapped in one body, so at any given moment, I try to be open and let any character come up to the show. This keeps me on my toes and with an imaginative spirit that is always down to play and explore. Who cares if people think you’re weird!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexmendi.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexmendiart/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmendi/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeppfHec5UQRWdGAfAZfyHw
Image Credits
Artwork: Alex Mendi
Portrait of Alex: Evelio Castillo
