“Carlos deploys his many talents—sculptor, flower farmer, performer, and facilitator—to create ‘de-numbing’ experiences that are both beautiful and deeply necessary in this fraught climate. Through his portable ofrendas and other immersive installations in public space, Carlos invites reflection, healing, and connection, often drawing from the rich traditions of Latinx/e culture to foster spaces of collective memory and ritual. His deep commitment to community is evident not only in his artistic practice but also in his role as a mentor and collaborator.” – Juror Lydia Ross, Independent Curator and Educator

Flores is the recipient of the 2025 Joyce Foundation Artadia Award.

Carlos Flores (b. 1992, Valley of Atemajac/Guadalajara) is an interdisciplinary artist, flower farmer, and earthkeeper now living in Shikaakwa. His work moves between collective construction, performance, and organizing, creating hybrid forms that commandeer tools of colonization and capitalism away from extraction and toward placemaking.

Since 2014, he has cultivated a “mycelial” practice, working through co-creation and a broad civic rhizosphere to seed social interventions on the Southwest Side, addressing justice, displacement, and migration. His community-based projects center the creation of immersive activations that bring viewers face-to-face with issues of land, race, and belonging, while simultaneously building connection and care. As a civically focused artist, he founded Contra Corriente, an annual artist-run festival that brings together artists, environmentalists, and community organizers to resist ecological racism through exhibitions and interactive programs. His current project, Porta(til), expands on this work—creating portable monuments that connect Latinx/e communities on the frontlines of climate migration.