THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF MEXICO IN HOUSTON in collaboration with THE MEXICAN CULTURAL AND TOURISM INSTITUTE & SERRANO GALLERY are proud to present
PAPEL & FLORES YVETTE GRUTTER
MAY 1 - AUGUST 21, 2025
Yvette Grutter es una artista mexicana, suiza y estadounidense, nacida en la CDMX. Obtuvo la licenciatura en Bellas Artes en la Universidad de Texas en San Antonio, con especialidad en grabado y escultura.
Actualmente reside en Houston y trabaja como artista independiente e impartiendo clases de arte en su taller en Los Silos en Sawyer Yards, la comunidad artística más grande de EU. A parte de enseñar a niños y adultos desde el inicio de su carrera artística, es mentora de pasantes de la carrera de arte de la Universidad de Houston Downtown.
Viajar y participar en residencias de artistas y talleres de arte en el extranjero son una parte fundamental de su práctica artística. Ha recibido reconocimientos, premios y becas, como la otorgada por la UNESCO para hacer una residencia de artistas en Valencia, España. Recientemente fue seleccionada para ser parte de la 6a Jornada de Artistas 2025 por parte del Instituto para Mexicanas y Mexicanos en el Exterior por fortalecer la identidad culutral de su país en el extrajero.
Ha participado en numerosas exposiciones individuales y grupales a nivel mundial, entre las que se destacan De Blanco & De Rojo en la Universidad Tecnológica de la CDMX, Washi & Amate en la Embajada de Japón en México, Réminiscences en la Galería d’Arfi en Denges, Suiza, Papel & Flores en el Consulado General de México en Houston, entre otras.
Su obra ha sido publicada en artículos y catálogos de arte y es parte de importantes colecciones.
PAPEL & FLORES
Una celebración de incrustaciones efímeras en papel
Yvette Grutter es una artista que ha dedicado su práctica de la preservación y la reinvención del arte del papel hecho a mano, explorando su conexión con las tradiciones ancestrales y su aplicación en el contexto artístico moderno.
Influenciada por la cultura mexicana, su obra no solo rinde homenaje a las raíces indígenas de su país, sino que también invita al espectador a reflexionar sobre el papel como un medio de comunicación en la cultura.
Sus creaciones emplean técnicas autóctonas de elaboración del papel y en ellas integra elementos visuales de la flora mexicana y de otros países, la simbología de rituales religiosos relacionados a las coseches y sus dioses, al festejo del Día de Muertos, entro otros, al mismo tiempo que a las formas contemporáneas del arte.
Tiene una verdadera convicción por transmitir valores estéticos a través de sus obras.
Papel & Flores
Etapas de la infancia
Recuerdos siempre presentes
Flores, hojas y tallos
Líneas finas y delicadas
Incrustaciones sobre papel
Registros de días alegres
Y consuelo de los de lágrimas
Yvette Grutter is a Mexican, Swiss, and American artist born in Mexico City. She received her Bachelor in Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a concentration in print-making and a minor in sculpture.
She currently has a studio at The Silos at Sawyer Yards in Houston, the largest artists community in the US, where she works and teaches. She has has been an art educator for children and adults for the past four decades and she has also served as a mentor for the intern program for seniors pursuing an art degree at the University of Houston Downtown.
Travel and pursuing artist residencies and workshops abroad have greatly influenced her artistic practice. Grutter has received many awards and scholarships, including an UNESCO sponsored artist residency in Valencia, Spain. She was recently selected to participate in the 6th Jornada de Artistas 2025 granted by the Institute for Mexicans Abroad for strengthening her country’s cultural identity abroad.
She has exhibited her work in countless solo and group exhibitions both in the US and abroad, notably participating in De Blanco & De Rojo in the Technological University in Mexico City, Washi & Amate within the Japanese Embassy in Mexico City, Réminiscences at the Galerie d’Arfi in Denges, Switzerland, Paper & Flowers at the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, among others.
Her work has been published in articles and catalogues and is part of important art collections.
PAPER & FLOWERS
A celebration of ephemeral inlays on paper
Yvette Grutter is a mixed media artist whose work is informed by her global papermaking research since the late 80’s, allowing the viewers to create their own narratives.
The artist has dedicated her practice to the preservation and reinvention of handmade paper art, exploring its connection to ancestral traditions and its application in the modern artistic context.
Influenced by Mexican culture, her work not only pays homage to her country’s indigenous roots but also invites the viewer to reflect on paper as a means of cultural communication. Her creations employ native paper-making techniques and integrate visual elements from Mexican and other countries’ flora, the symbolism of religious rituals related to harvests and their gods, the Day of the Dead celebration, among others, as well as contemporary art forms.
She has a true conviction for transmitting aesthetic values through her artwork.
Paper & Flowers
Stages of Childhood
Ever-Present Memories
Flowers, Leaves, and Stems
Fine and Delicate Lines
Inlays on Paper
Records of Joyful Days
And Consolation for Those of Tears
RELEVANCIA HISTÓRICA
El papel es un material versátil con una rica historia y ha sido fundamental en diversas aplicaciones desde su creación. Desde la elaboración de libros y mapas hasta la creación de documentos y obras de arte, ha desempeñado un papel importante en el desarrollo de la civilización humana. Curiosamente, incrustar flores en la pulpa de papel ha sido una tradición muy apreciada en diversas culturas durante siglos.
El papel se convierte en un vehículo para la memoria, la tradición y la identidad
El papel hecho a mano no es solo una técnica, sino un documento vivo. A través de él, la preservación cultural y la historia generacional convergen, asegurando que la fragilidad de las memorias se manifieste en la pulpa.
A menudo incorpora materiales, motivos, símbolos y métodos tradicionales que se pasan de generación en generación. Mediante esta forma de arte se puede preservar el conocimiento ancestral. Técnicas como el papel washi elaborado en Asia elaborado de corteza de morera, o como el papel amate en México hecho de corteza del amatl, atesoran siglos de simbolismo artesanal y cultural. Las imágenes o el contenido del papel pueden representar rituales espirituales, agrícolas o sociales propios de una cultura.
El papel y su arte pueden plasmar plantas, tintes y herramientas regionales, arraigándolo profundamente al contexto ecológico e histórico de una comunidad. En las culturas antiguas, las obras en papel fungen como un archivo generacional, manteniendo vivo el lenguaje y proporcionando un registro botánico.
TÉCNICA
Papel Hecho a Mano
El papel hecho a mano es una expresión de arte y sostenibilidad. Elaborado de forma artesanal a partir de fibras naturales, cada hoja es única e irrepetible. Su textura orgánica, sus bordes irregulares y su acabado natural le confieren un carácter especial que lo distingue del papel industrial. Este tipo de papel no solo es visualmente hermoso, sino que al estar libre de químicos, es respetuoso con el medio ambiente y transmite una sensación cálida, auténtica y cercana. Cada obra cuenta una historia: la del cuidado, la paciencia y la dedicación de las manos que la crearon.
Tras cuatro décadas de investigación y experimentación con una amplia variedad de flores y plantas, sigo perfeccionando mi técnica y dedicando mi trabajo a honrar recuerdos y marcar transiciones. Momentos significativos de mi vida han sido fuente de mi inspiración. Mi obra invita al espectador a contemplar sus narrativas y a identificarse con las profundas conexiones que compartimos los unos con los otros y con la naturaleza, que se manifiestan según la experiencia individual de cada uno.
Marcos
En esta colección de obras, los marcos de metal tienen la intención de crear un balance entre los contrastes de los materiales: entre lo ligero y lo pesado, lo suave y lo duro, lo efímero y lo duradero, lo espontáneo y lo estructurado, lo abstracto y lo geométrico, lo femenino y lo masculino, etc.
HISTORIC IMPORTANCE
Paper, a versatile material with a rich history, has been instrumental in various applications since its inception. From crafting books and maps to creating documents and artistic masterpieces, paper has played a pivotal role in shaping human civilization. Interestingly, embedding flowers within the paper pulp has been a cherished tradition across diverse cultures for centuries.
The hand-made paper as a vessel for memory, tradition, and identity
Artistic hand-made paper is not just a medium, it’s a living document. Through it, cultural preservation and generational storytelling converge, ensuring that what is fragile in memory becomes tangible in fiber.
The medium becomes a vessel for memory, tradition, and identity. It often incorporates traditional materials, motifs, symbols, and methods passed down through generations. This form of art can preserve ancestral knowledge. Techniques such as washi paper made in Asia out of mulberry bark or amate paper in Mexico carry centuries of craft and cultural symbolism. The imagery or content on the paper might reflect spiritual, agricultural, or social rituals unique to a culture.
The paper and its art may reflect regional plants, dyes, and tools, rooting it deeply in a community’s ecological and historical context. In ancient cultures, the pieces serve as a generational archive, keeping language and botanical knowledge alive.
TECHNIQUE
Handmade Paper
Handmade paper is an expression of art and sustainability. Handcrafted from natural fibers, each sheet is unique and unrepeatable. Its organic texture, irregular edges, and natural finish give it a special character that distinguishes it from industrial paper. This type of paper is not only visually beautiful, but because it is chemical-free, it is environmentally friendly and conveys a warm, authentic, and intimate feeling. Each piece tells a story: that of the care, patience, and dedication of the hands that created it.
After four decades of research and experimentation with a wide variety of flowers and plants, I continue to perfect my technique and dedicate my work to honoring memories and marking life’s transitions. My work consistently draws from significant moments of my life, and by extension, invites viewers to contemplate their narratives and recognize the profound connections we share with nature and each other, as it manifests through the uniqueness of the viewer’s experience.
Frames
In this collection of works, the metal frames are intended to create balance between the contrasts of the materials: between light and heavy, soft and hard, ephemeral and enduring, spontaneous and structured, abstract and geometric, feminine and masculine, etc.
Cockscomb Belly, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
20 x 14.5 in Frame 29 x 23 in $1,575
Roses Dance, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
39 x 24.5 in Frame 51 x 34.5 in $3,975
Row of Roses I, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
18 x 25 in Frame 29 x 35 in
$2,275
Row of Roses II, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
18 x 25 in Frame 29 x 35 in
$2,275
Line, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
16 x 16 in
Frame 24 x 24 in
$1,375
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
16 x 16 in
Frame 24 x 24 in
Roses, 1995
Sarracenias Dance, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
24.5 x 39 in Frame 34.5 x 51
$3,975
Sarracenias, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
18 x 25 in Frame 29 x 35 in $2,275
HI, HELLO, HELLO, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
16.5 x 39 in Frame 28.5 x 52.5 in $2,575
HI, HELLO, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
16 x 23 in Frame 27 x 33 in
$1,475
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
36 x 30 in
Frame 51 x 44 in
Sunflowers I, 1995
$7,550
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
36 x 30 in Frame 51 x 44 in
Sunflowers II, 1995
$7,550
Botany I, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
36 x 30 in Frame 51 x 44 in
$3,750
Botany II, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
36 x 30 in Frame 51 x 44 in
$3,750
Raiz, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
16 x 33 in Frame 26 x 44 in
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
31 x 31 in Frame 41 x 41 in $2,975
Cempasúchil, 1995
The Three Gates, 1994 Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 32 in Frame 17 x 37 in
$1,375
Veils, 1994
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
17 x 33 in Frame 24 x 41 in
$1,675
One-Plus-One - Cabbage Leaf & Center, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 20 in Frame 14 x 24.5 in $1,150
One-Plus-One - Three Cabbages, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 20 in Frame 14 x 24.5 in $1,150
One-Plus-One - Two Lilies, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 20 in Frame 14 x 24.5 in $1,150
One-Plus-One - Cempasúchil & Wreath, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 20 in Frame 14 x 24.5 in $1,150
One-Plus-One - Roses & Leaf, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 20 in Frame 14 x 24.5 in $1,150
One-Plus-One - Roses & Line, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 20 in Frame 14 x 24.5 in $1,150
Flower Rain, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
30 x 40 in Frame 40 x 50 in
$3,375
Rose Swamp, 1993
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
34 x 24 in Frame 42.5 x 34.25 in $2,475
Petals Rain, 1994
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
30 x 41 in Frame 44 x 54 in
$3,975
Agapanthus, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
9 x 9 in
Frame 19 x 19 in
$1,150
Iris, 1993
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
12 x 9 in Frame 19.5 x 17 in
$975
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
41 x 30 in Frame 54 x 44 in $3,975
Tempest, 1993
16 x 16 in
Frame 24 x 24 in $1,375
Moses-in-the-cradle, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
Purple Sky, 1994
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
30 x 41 in Frame 44 x 54 in
$3,975
Reguilete, 1994
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
10 x 10 in
Frame 20 x 20 in
$950
Pink Wind, 1993
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
41 x 30 in
Frame 54 x 44 in
$3,975
Carnation Bed, 1993
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
21 x 12 in Frame 29 x 19 in
$1,355
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
25 x 18 in Frame 35 x 29 in
Beloved, 1994
$2,275
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
16 x 16 in Frame 24 x 24 in $1,375
Rose & Anthurium, 1995
Roses Wreath, 1995
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
16 x 16 in Frame 24 x 24 in
$1,375
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
31 x 23 in Frame 45 x 36 in $2,725
Leaf, 1994
Carnations, 1994
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
31 x 23 in Frame 45 x 36 in $2,725
Red Field, 1993
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
20 x 32 in Frame 32 x 44.5 in $4,750
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
31 x 23 in Frame 45 x 36 in $2,725
Safflower, 1994
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
Luz de Luna, 1994
48 x 31 in Frame 74 x 45 in $4,975
Carnation Wreath, 1993
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
28 x 21 in Frame 38 x 32 in
$1,975
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
25 x 18 in Frame 35 x 29 in $2,275
Ribbons, 1993
Mixed Media with Dried Flowers
24 x 20 in Frame 28.5 x 24.5 in
Flores para Dios, 2009
