The sublime expression of art is a provocation to human emotions and their evolution in the daily life of each person; hence its importance for society. This dialogue, intimate and thoughtful, finds in specialized fairs a way to transcend, to make itself known to a wider public and to strengthen deep relationships between artists and collectors.
In 2020, Mexico City hosted multiple art fairs that consolidated the Art Week. ZsONAMACO, Bada Mex, Salón Acmé and Material Art FairAmong other prominent forums, they established themselves as propitious places for both galleries and visual artists to generate an in-depth dialogue. And they did it successfully.
However, at present, these spaces of artistic diffusion face the challenge of continuing their legacy dodging the social circumstances that the health contingency has pushed.
Most platforms had to cancel their face-to-face edits or postpone them, in addition to reinventing themselves to discover in the virtual world and hybrid formats new ways of expression.
“In the current context [de pandemia y crisis económica], we have managed to adapt and find a way to continue with our purpose, which is to encourage collecting and promote art ”.
Affirmed Forbes Life Zélika García, founder of ZsONAMACO.
Meanwhile, Mexico Design Fair (MDF) seeks to take advantage of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, as a location to develop face-to-face activities in open spaces.
—
—
“We conceive the event as a hybrid between thought and intellectual provocations that offers a biennial, [pero] without compromising the commercial aspect of a fair ”, says Carlos Torre Hütt, the founder, director and curator of MDF.
While, other artistic encounters decided to postpone their editions until 2022, pending a more suitable environment to generate long-term conversations in Mexican art.
PROPOSALS FOR A CONVULSE WORLD
ZsONAMACO discovered in the public sphere a way to show installations, performances, sculptures and ephemeral pieces, which will be presented between April 23 and May 2 in different areas of the Mexico City.
With this, says Zélika García, it seeks to promote coexistence and dialogue in urban spaces with the intention of creating tours that make the artistic and cultural offer visible.
—
—
Similarly, since January of the current year, the fair has been given the task of integrate an online chat program. In it, curators, artists, gallery owners and collectors generate a critical discussion about contemporary art and its future.
Thus, the ZsONAMACO Art Week includes different projects of design, photography and antiques which will be held in person, which will also be available online for those who choose this option.
The goal of art fairs is ultimately to offer a space
attractive to established and emerging artists, where a narrative can be articulated under a curatorial premise.
You may also like:
Veuve Clicquot by Yayoi Kusama sends a powerful message of hope
—
—
For this purpose, MDF will hold its first edition from May 21 to 23 of this year. The event, as estimated, con will with the participation of 13 galleries and brands of Mexican design, such as ATRA, the Mexican Design Gallery and TANE.
“We want to position ourselves as a travel experience for a select group of collectors interested in acquiring unpublished pieces of Mexican design ”.
Carlos Torre Hütt, the founder, director and curator of MDF.
For the founder of this platform, the prevailing context forces to generate
projects where they are presented relevant content through innovative formats. This will allow, he considers, to reach a wider audience, which transcends collectors and people sensitive to the discipline of design.
Art and design fairs should find alternatives of expression that promote new narratives and ways of transmitting your message, embracing the level of emotions with greater vigor. A necessary step in a context as challenging as it is hopeful.
Article originally published in the print edition of Forbes Mexico. April 2020.
Follow us on:
–
