Inside Mexico City’s Vibrant Gallery Scene during Its Art Week

This week, international collectors, galleries, and art lovers will arrive in Mexico City for the 19th edition of ZⓈONAMACO, a contemporary art fair which features more than 210 exhibitors from 26 countries at the Centro Citibanamex conference center.

Audiences unfamiliar with Mexico City may want to use the fair as an opportunity to interact with the artists and exhibitions from the local gallery scene during its art week, which runs from February 8th through 13th and also features Material Art Fair, Salón ACME, and ZⓈONAMACO. The latter, which runs until February 12th, is comprised of three sections: Arte Contemporáneo, Salón del Anticuario, and Foto.

Renowned for its vibrant cultural sites like the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, the Teotihuacan pyramids, and the La Casa Azul (Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán), as well as its status as one of the largest and oldest metropolitan centers in the world, Mexico City’s galleries reflect the mixture of old and new culture of its city center, which has seen enormous international growth over the past 30 years.

Artsy spoke with Max Marshall, head director of Deli Gallery; Patricia Conde, director of Patricia Conde Galería; Israel Alvarado T., director and curator of Aguafuerte Galería; and Perla Acevedo, assistant director of Galería Casa Lamm to gain an insight into the local gallery scene.

New York–headquartered Deli Gallery, which opened a new location in the Roma Norte neighborhood in Mexico City earlier this month, is currently hosting a group exhibition, “Hic Sunt Dracones” (“Here are the dragons”), which features 11 international artists.

The gallery is looking forward to “entering the [Mexico City gallery scene] with a collaborative and community-minded spirit,” said Marshall. “The existing community of artists and peer galleries is what already makes Mexico City a very exciting prospect for us. We are looking to help lift existing voices within that world, while also bringing forward a more international context,” he added.

For Alvarado T. at Aguafuerte Galería, also located in Roma Norte, ZⓈONAMACO brings out an atmosphere of celebration and increased engagement between galleries and artists, both local and international. The gallery, which has been around for 17 years, opened in Mexico City and has two other venues in Mexico (San Miguel de Allende and Val’ Quirico).

Its Mexico City space currently features a group exhibition, “Pleasures,” that reflects important artists from the contemporary Mexican art world, including Fabián Cháirex, Pablo Marie, Francesca Dalla Benetta, Edgar Cano, Héctor Massiel, Francisco Soriano, Adrián Bastarrachea, Cristobal Montoya, Marcelo Calvillo, and Mario Navarro.

Aguafuerte Galería is excited for the opportunity to share its works with a larger audience during ZⓈONAMACO, Alvarado T. told Artsy. “Our exhibitions are varied and risky around techniques, figurative, abstract, politics, social, local, and global problems, in other words inclusive art,” he said.

While ZⓈONAMACO is the leading art fair in Mexico City, all of the galleries pointed to other fairs and happenings across town as other worthwhile events, further emphasizing the support of their shared local community. Particia Conde pointed to Salón ACME (February 10th through 13th) as a fair in which her gallery can “have a closer relationship with our collectors and friends.”

Patricia Conde Galería specializes in photography, with artists like Erwin Olaf, Michael Kenna, and Steve Curry on its roster. It will have a group exhibition curated by Michel Bancsubé on view during the city’s art week with artists Olaf, Kenna, Yael Martínez, Flor Garduño, and Laura Cohen.

Marshall mentioned the contemporary art–focused Material Art Fair (February 9th through 12th) as another opportunity “to engage with the city and diverse range of international galleries.” He also emphasized the exciting opportunities that arise to interact with artists, collectors, and other gallerists or dealers over the vibrancy of Mexico City’s cuisine: He can be found at taco hotspot Tortas Al Fuego on Avenue Sonora throughout the week.

Galería Casa Lamm, which was established in 1994, has observed the growth of the international market in Mexico City over the past 30 years. Perla Acevedo, its assistant director, appreciates the rich combination of older collectors and emerging buyers. With a location in one of the city’s busiest neighborhoods, within walking distance of the Museo de Arte de Moderno, the gallery’s locale is “bohemian and trustworthy,” said Acevedo.