I never thought I would say it, and if you know me or have spoken to me, you know that when I say this it’s not hyperbolic: I think Mexico City may equal Tokyo as my favorite city in the world. Even with the traffic in consideration. The part about Mexico City that is so fascinating is the colliding of cultures on each block that makes it completely of its own place. The colors, architecture and street culture is a collision of centuries and ideas. The art scene is of its own, too, which is what makes going during Art Week so fascinating and fun. I know half the art world was in Qatar, we were in CDMX and in a few weeks it will be in Los Angeles and then Madrid.
There are way, way too many art weeks. I repeat, there are way, way too many art weeks. And I might be over the idea of an art week, artificially created attention. But Mexico City seems so confident in their art scene and spaces that it’s art week feels a bit like a flex. It’s already happening, just come on in. The museums are some of the best in the world, the galleries often feel like works of architectural theater unto themselves, and the fairs are pretty solid unibrows: high, low, in-between, design, fine art, contemporary, past masters, collectibles and… architecture. All of it feels centered in good architecture.
Your heard me glow about Oscar Murillo’s show at kurimanzutto, and we interviewed Olivier Souffrant for his booth with Stems at Zonamaco, but a few other shows, moments and visits need to be noted. I could do an entire post on any of the Barragan spaces in the city, and I visited the Gilardi House and highly recommend the history lesson at the beginning of the tour for the context not only of the man himself, but an important era of Mexico City’s recent history…
But here is a trio of architectural art highlights
First, Rafa Esparza and Beatriz Cortez collaborations and interventions at the Anahuacalli, Diego Rivera’s incredible museum dedicated to his collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, was stunning and mysterious. The space itself, constructed inspired Mesoamerican structures, looks centuries old but was started in the 1940s. It’s one of the great museums of the world, not just Mexico City, just an utterly fascinating vantage point into the mind of an artistic legend. The contemporary inclusion is a smart curatorial decision, and brings life to both the collection and ecological preserve that surrounds the building.
Galerie Nordenhake’s presentation of Zigzags and Curves, an exhibition by Sarah Crowner at Casa Roja in Lomas de Chapultepec, became a highlight of the week, literally zigging and zagging and curving throughout the stunning space. Mexico City is a city of color, and Crowner navigates color in special ways that tell a story. She’s experimenting while directing your eye. The work is informed by and responsive to the mid-century house, and the use of natural light that the home affords really made for a transcendent experience.
And then, Salón ACME . Holy. Shit. This was fun. Now in its 13th year, the fair, if you could call it that because it, again, is so responsive to the building, is an open-call, artist-run collection of galleries and artists. The building, Proyectos Públicos, allows for a few surprises, nooks and crannies, open courtyards, sculpture, painting, textile and installation. But I think more importantly, there was a genuine buzz and something original here. I left feeling hopeful, that some risk can still be involved in the arts. Not so much that it was unsellable work, but that surprises can still be present in the art experience.
I ran into an artist in Mexico City from Los Angeles, and there was something he said to me that really resonated and made me think of trends I’m noticing in the art world and perhaps I will investigate further. But the most exciting things in the art world right now are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The institutional museum curations and the DIY scenes are the most exciting in the world right now. Not the art market, not the gallery scene, the uncertainty and worry there is more palpable than ever. But museums and artist-run spaces and shows are really leading the way, and of course, some may argue that this is always the case, but 4-5 years ago, there was a buzz in the market and gallery shows felt fresh. But we are back to the basics: museum curators really pushing new ideas (see Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings at BAMPFA) or more events like Salón ACME, and there is an interesting thread and a bridge forming over the top of the market. —Evan Pricco
