Cekouat León

Cekouat León is an origami artist and biologist based in Mexico City, where his work sits somewhere between science, craft, and art. He has been folding for over 18 years and started designing his own models in 2013, working exclusively from a single uncut square of paper.

Growing up in a family of artisans, musicians, and traditional dancers, he developed an early connection to both culture and nature. That naturally led him to study biology, and today his designs reflect a close observation of animals and plants, translated into paper through precise, thoughtful folding.

Cekouat often works with handmade papers from different parts of the world and has a particular interest in amate, a traditional Mexican bark paper. Through collaborations with indigenous paper makers in Puebla, he explores how materials, history, and craft come together in contemporary origami.

His work has been exhibited internationally and shared through workshops, lectures, and conventions across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Whether he’s folding hummingbirds, orchids, or other forms of wildlife, his goal is always the same, to create a deeper connection between people, materials, and the natural world.