Embracing the Cultural Revolution: 10 Mexico Art Galleries

Mexican fine arts were once largely influenced by European traditions, but since the Mexican Revolution, a new generation of Mexican artists have emerged. Today, young art dealers are opening galleries at a rapid pace and the city holds a unique mix of traditional and new practicing artists. We take a look at ten art galleries that best represent the Mexican art scene.

Kurimanzutto boasts a collection of some of Mexico’s most up and coming contemporary artists, including Damián Ortega, Daniel Guzmán and Gabriel Orozco. The gallery is spacious, with the interesting interior resembling a barn with wooden beams and a frosted glass roof. This unique building is located near Mexico City’s central park,Bosque de Chapultepec.

Galería OMR

Founded in 1983, Galeria OMR represents emerging and established contemporary artists. It is the exclusive representative of the estates of Adolfo Riestra and Alberto Gironella. It participates at many international art fairs such as Zona MACO(Mexico), Art Basel (Switzerland), Art Brussels(Belgium) and Art Basel Miami (USA). In 2009, OMR opened a project space in the annex building called el52, aiming to provide a new platform for younger artists.

Garash Galería

Garash Galeria is a gallery dedicated to showcasing contemporary art, housing an interesting collective of new media, performance art, installation and photography. Its artists include Amaranta Sanchez, Ana Roldan, Richard Mozska, Ricardo Harispuru and Xavier Rodriguez. It is situated in the emerging Colonia Roma neighborhood, the heart of the Mexican contemporary art scene.

KBK Arte Contemporáneo

KBK Arte Contemporáneo is a gallery dedicated to contemporary art and supports emerging artists. This is a new gallery located in the upscale Polanco neighbourhood. Supporting an array of established artists, the gallery represents the work of names such as Patrick Hamilton,Marcela Astorga, Fernando Carabajal, Rodrigo Echeverri, Dario Escobar, Taka Fernandez,Mateo Lopez, Rosario Lopez Parra, Moris, Ale de la Puente and Rodrigo Vega. It also undertakes a number of international projects and art fairs including VOLTA, and has a sister gallery in New York called VOLTANY.

The Ex Teresa Arte Actual Museum is located in the historic center of Mexico City. The building is an old church which has been transformed into an art centre presenting exhibitions which investigate the contemporary art and culture of Mexico, making use of various art media (such as installation, performance and multimedia). The museum has a collection of its own, but is characterised by the production and realisation of regular programmes of performances, in addition to presenting concerts of contemporary music, film and video projection, installations, sound art and multimedia shows.

Fundacion/Coleccion Jumex

Fundación/Colección Jumex was created in 2001 and is considered to be one of the most important contemporary art collections in Latin America. Its aim is to promote production, advance research, and encourage critical thinking about contemporary art at an international level. Through its exhibitions and extensive grant and scholarship programmes, Fundación/Colección Jumex works to generate innovative research and curatorial proposals to stimulate reflection about contemporary art worldwide. The collection is based inEcatepec in the outskirts of the city and plans to open a new multidisciplinary space in Mexico City in 2013, designed by the British architect David Chipperfield.

Galeria Enrique Guerrero

Founded in 1997, Galeria Enrique Guerrerorepresents a group of young artists who are part of the emerging art scene in Mexico, with contemporary proposals exploring all disciplines that currently comprise the visual arts. As well as supporting contemporary art, the gallery also pays homage to the great masters of Latin American art such asRemedios Varo, José Clemente Orozco andFrancisco Zúñiga, as well as renowned artists such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Robert Mapplethorpe,Guillermo Kuitca and Louise Nevelson. This is presented through annual programmes of exhibitions and international activities both on site and in recognised art forums.

Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso was restored in 1991 by the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the National Council for Culture and the Arts and the Federal District Department. It runs projects and exhibitions that are dedicated to the rich and diverse culture of Mexican heritage as well as holding collections from foreign museums being presented in Mexico for the first time. It also showcases contemporary exhibitions and activities that promote a learning experience for both the children and young people to adult audiences, highlighting its commitment to public participation and promoting art and culture in Mexico.

Museo Tamayo

Museo Tamayo produces innovative exhibitions of international contemporary art, as well as the work of its founder Rufino Tamayo. Its aim is to enhance aesthetic experience and appreciation of art through extensive research and interpretation to the Museum’s diverse audience. Since 1986, it has been a public museum which belongs to the Red Nacional de Museos of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, and has received additional support from the Fundacion Olga y Rufino Tamayo A.C since 1989.

Museo Universitario del Chopo

Museo Universitario del Chopo, a popular university museum, is a critical and influential venue providing an insight to the new trends within heterodoxy in the performing arts, visual art and literature. It runs a varied programme of projects and exhibitions that aim to generate an atmosphere of experimentation and reflection in dialogue with cultural groups, emerging and independent networks addressed to the university community and the general public.

By Eleanor Cunningham – The Culture Trip