Biography

I’m Antonio Lapierre, a self-taught naïve artist, giant puppet maker, and cultural storyteller, and I’m from Los Cabos. My work lives in a place between sculpture and theater — in the moment when a giant puppet begins to move, breathe, and connect with people. I create Catrinas, Catrines, wedding characters, and special figures that appear in parades, hotels, beaches, and celebrations all across Los Cabos.

I didn’t come from art schools or traditional training. Everything I know, I learned by trusting my hands, my curiosity, and my stubborn desire to create something meaningful. One of the most important people in my journey was Roger Lapierre, a jeweler and the closest thing I ever had to a master. He taught me the value of craftsmanship, the discipline of doing things well, and the quiet power of creating something with your own hands. His influence is a part of every piece I make.

As I grew, I experimented with everything — cutting, gluing, shaping, painting, and building without rules. Over time I realized that what I was doing naturally belonged to naïve art: honest, instinctive, emotional, and free from academic boundaries. That freedom allowed me to follow my own style and trust my own ideas.

Everything changed the first time I stepped inside one of my own mojigangas. From inside the puppet, hidden but alive, I saw people smile, shout, and react with surprise. In that moment I understood something that shaped my entire artistic philosophy:
a mojiganga is only complete when a human gives it life.
The performer becomes the heart of the character, and the character becomes a living artwork. That discovery transformed me.

Since then, my mojigangas and Catrinas have appeared in weddings on the beach, Día de Muertos celebrations, hotel events, cultural festivals, and the nautical parade in the bay of Cabo San Lucas. Each event has taught me that art is not meant to stay still — it should move, celebrate, and stay alive in people’s memories.

My artistic beliefs are simple:

• I honor Mexican tradition.
Every Catrina carries the history and meaning of our culture.

• Art should belong to everyone.
A giant puppet is a celebration, not a museum piece — it dances with people.

• Being self-taught is a strength.
I create with intuition, emotion, and the courage to try again and again.

Today I continue working in my studio in Los Cabos, always improving my techniques — making my puppets lighter, stronger, more expressive, and easier for performers to bring to life. My work includes rentals, custom commissions, monumental Catrinas, thematic installations, and collaborations with local communities and businesses.

For me, art is not just something I make — it’s something I live.
Every puppet carries a memory, a lesson, and a piece of who I am.

And every time one of my characters walks through a crowd, I’m reminded of the same truth:

Art comes alive when we give it life.