Abiam Alvarez is a ceramicist based in Gilroy, California. He spent the first nine years of his life in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico, before immigrating to California in 1999, where he settled in the small farming town of Firebaugh. In Firebaugh, he was inspired by his experience in the agricultural industry, where he spent his summers working in the fields. Abiam’s artwork is rooted in the Central Valley, and speaks of the labors and political issues surrounding agriculture, consumerism, and immigrant workers.
A first-generation college graduate, Abiam earned his B.A. in art and design with an emphasis in ceramics and sculpture from California State University, Fresno, and later completed his MFA in Spatial Art at San Jose State University in 2019. With 19 years of experience in ceramics, he has been teaching the subject at both the high school and collegiate levels for 13 years. He continues to expand his knowledge of contemporary and historical ceramic processes.
Abiam is passionate about both pottery and sculpture. His work focuses on creating representational ceramic sculptures of produce, juxtaposed with elements such as vessels, chunks of soil, and tools—symbols of the labor involved in fieldwork. His sculptures honor farm workers by showcasing the fruits of their labor. Most recently, Abiam has been exploring ceramic 3D printing, crafting vessels that emphasize patterns and how glazes interact with those designs. His work has been exhibited extensively in the West Coast, including the Santa Paula Art Museum and Palo Alto Art Center.