Glasstire.com - Illuminating the Dystopia: Manuel Zamudio’s “Return to Neon” at Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia

Since 2019, Manuel Zamudio has dedicated himself to a full-time career as an artist. Born in Mexico City and raised in McAllen, Texas, where he continues to live, Zamudio works in what he calls “stylized realism” — a blend of realistic portraiture with elements of street art, such as graffiti and neon. His figures, often everyday people, appear as avatars embedded in imagined, saturated environments. This approach shaped his 2022 solo debut at Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia, titled Neon, which introduced the futuristic city that continues to unfold in Return to Neon, his current exhibition at the same gallery.

Return to Neon is based on Neon, a fictional, dystopian city out of Zamudio’s imagination, where his characters live. To create Neon, he pulls, in part, from dystopian worlds in sci-fi films, video games, and novels, such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Zamudio’s vision is also grounded in today’s real-world issues, especially those plaguing urban U.S. settings, particularly New York City.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: https://glasstire.com/2025/08/18/illuminating-the-dystopia-manuel-zamudios-return-to-neon-at-arch-enemy-arts-philadelphia/