Nicole and colleague, Chris, in Mexico City (notice that the air cast is still on)

Well, what a trip! I was thoroughly enjoying myself in Mexico City before the insane Swine Flu virus caused everyone to don masks and flee all public places. I had no idea what a large contemporary art scene Mexico City has before my trip there. My whirlwind tour began with openings at Gallería 13 and OMR’s flagship as well as their brand new space.

Galleria 13, Suit

Gallería 13 was showing a graduate student’s thesis project which involved his wearing a suit for 365 days without ever changing or bathing. He did not shave or cut his hair or fingernails. Each month a photographer documented his appearance. These photos were on view in the first room. The second room displayed other anecdotal documentation, mostly others’ reactions to him as time went on. Upstairs his hair, nails, and the actual suit were on view. This was a very interesting exhibit in a stunning space. OMR is one of the oldest and most successful contemporary art galleries in Mexico City. Works on view included those by Pablo Vargas Lugo, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Stefan Brüggemann, and Jose Dávila. After that it was off to Covadonga, a mix between a German beerhall and a club for old men. Table of domino playing elderly gentleman were broken up by the hipsters and collectors who flooded the large space drinking tequila, eating tortas, and dancing into the wee hours of the night in the obnoxiously lit space.

Brunch at the Museo de Arte Moderno showcased new acquisitions in photography as well as an exhibition of Yishai Jusidman’s work. After that it was the VIP opening of the MACO fair which drew large crowds. After walking through the fair I determined that there were some very good deals to be found.

Plinio Avila painting

Sandra Valenzuela

My colleague, Chris, is friends with the owner of a wonderful gallery called EDS showing emerging artists. I particularly enjoyed works by Plinio Avila , wonderful paintings with unusual perspectives and in unique forms (one was painted on the inside of a paper cone), and Sandra Valenzuela’s photos of various finger puppets looking at art and holding glasses of wine as if they were attending art openings. They are $3000 a pop and in editions of 3. I really love the whimsy of these works.

Ramses R. Olaya, Los Colores de Una Sombra

Ramses R. Olaya creates beautiful cut outs from Moleskin books.

Fernandez Video

Fernandez, Video installation, 2004

A Venezuelan gallery, Faría Fábregas, had a wonderful video installation by Magdalena Fernández.

Liliana Porter, "Disguises" series

Porter, Penguin

La Caja Negra had prints by Richard Serra, Bruce Nauman, and Liliana Porter (an Argentinian artist who I have mentioned in previous posts). Porter has a concurrent one-person exhibition at the Museo Rufino Tamayo. Her work includes installations, sculptures, drawings and prints. The prints at the fair were $2200 each and are part of the series, “Disguises” in which small figurines are dressed in sombreros and boas, etc. They are playful but beautiful as well.

Candida Höfer

OMR had a wonderful Candida Höfer large-scale photograph in rich hues for $65,000. At Galeria Álvaro Alcázar there were some very interesting works on view. At first the works appear to be ceramic with Lucio Fontana-like holes, but they are really painted on cardboard with a high gloss sheen and their earth tones add to their ceramic appearance.

Marilyn Minter paintings

Galerie Laurent Godin, a Paris gallery, has some wonderful Marilyn Minter works on metal from the late 1990s.

Ozwaldo Ruiz, Office

Ruiz, Untitled

At Luis Adelantado there were fantastic large-scale portraits of red-heads by the artist, Andres Carretero.  And Ozwaldo Ruiz’s photos of abandoned spaces as night which were extremely affordable. A whole wall of them were available for $3500. I was very close to purchasing one myself.

Stingel

Stingel

An Italian gallery had a number of works by Rudolf Stingel. Red and silver paint covers a layer of tulle, some images are floral and decorative, others in the series are more abstract. They are wonderful.

Terstappen, Untitled

There was a huge photo (150 x 150 cm) of Japanese tin buckets that grabbed my attention by German artist Claudia Terstappen for 5800 euros.

Henrique Oliviera installation

One of the oddest but most eye-catching works was an installation at Brazilian gallery Baro Cruz by the artist Henrique Oliviera.

Ivan Puig, Hasta las Narices

My absolute favorite work is by Ivan Puig. It is a photograph that documents an installation he did in 2008. It is called, “Up to the nose” and it involves a Volkswagen bug partially hidden in white liquid that fills the room. Visually, it just sucked me in. There is only one of the edition of seven left. The artist did not create it as a photo but simply as documentation of his installation but his gallerist convinced him to print it in an edition because it is such a strong work. For $2200, it is a steal. If I had the money I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Hidden Habita Bar at the MACO fair

Nicole at Jumex Party

That night it was off to the party of the year at the Jumex Collection. Curated by Shamim M. Momin, Nothingness and Being includes works by Latin American and International contemporary artists. It is hard to imagine that in the middle of this industrial area an hour away from Mexico City lies storage and display buildings housing some of the most amazing artwork in all of Mexico. The party went until the next morning and tequila, food, and music were plentiful. It was a great opportunity to meet people, connect with people you had met earlier at the fair and see tremendous art.

Frida's House

Frida's House Gardens

Next on the agenda was a visit to the Frida Kahlo museum. It is actually the house in which the artist was raised as well as where she and Diego Rivera lived for a number of years during their relationship. No pictures were allowed inside so the photos show the lovely gardens. I was a little disappointed to be honest. Inside some of Frida and Diego’s work was on view but it only whet my appetite. I was also sad that the video on view had no English subtitles. There was an emphasis on contacts and friends that Diego and Frida had both in, but more importantly, outside of the artworld. The room which housed Frida’s easel with a view of the gardens made the trip worthwhile.

After Friday’s Swine Flu scare people chose to drink and eat their cares away at a lovely cocktail party at Julio Serrano’s private collection. Sadly I left the following morning missing Gabriel Orozco’s opening at a local gallery called Kurimanzutto but better to be safe than sorry.

Phew! Glad to be back in the USA and a little sad that my trip was tainted. But I would definitely go back to Mexico City, just not until this flu has been contained.