Sara Fitzmaurice Shares Her Favorite Mexico City Moments
Whitewall caught up with Sara Fitzmaurice, Founder and CEO of FITZ & CO, the cutting-edge, global strategic agency, to reflect on the Best of Mexico City Art Week.
The Best Mexico City Events
The Museo Tamayo gala in Mexico City.
A standout event of the week was the Museo Tamayo Gala. Helmed by Director and Curator Magali Arriola, who curated Art Basel Miami Beach’s Meridians sector, the Museo Tamayo maintains a steadfast commitment to presenting a dynamic program of temporary exhibitions. The evening for over 500 guests began with a private view of current exhibitions including Petrit Halilaj‘s “RUNIK,” a contemplative exhibition that filled the major galleries where the Kosovo-born artist explores the complicated emotions he holds towards the history of his homeland and his personal identity; and Ragnar Kjartansson’s “Before the Curtain Hits the Floor,” the artist’s first exhibition in Latin America, that explores the “tension between fiction and lie, spectacle and confession, person and character.”
After encountering these exhibitions, guests then made their way to a glamorous open-sided black tent on the Museum’s terraces. Above each table hovered a suspended cut agave plant, illuminated from below, which will be replanted following the gala. After a delicious meal prepared by Entremar, one of Mexico City’s most delicious restaurants, guests hit the dance floor, which was packed with Mexican and international artists, collectors, curators, gallerists, and more.
Educating experiences have been abundant throughout the week, with the opportunity to hear renowned artist Gabriel Orozco discuss his public art practice with Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine. Hosted by Fondation Beyeler and UBS as part of the Artist Talk series and held at Museo Jumex, Orozco and Obrist delved into the artist’s reimagining of Chapultepec Park in Mexico City, one of his largest projects to date—many times larger than NYC’s Central Park.
The Best Mexico City Shows
While exhibitions throughout the city have wowed me at every turn, two of Mexico City’s most renowned galleries presented world-class exhibitions. OMR’s “Four Minutes of Darkness,” Eduardo Sarabia’s inaugural solo exhibition at the gallery explored, as a cartography, the artist’s unique visual language. Calling to mind the opacity of a solar eclipse, the exhibition investigates the power of imagination and an interest in projecting the future. The artist utilizes an architectural structure resembling a chapel to express his fascination with mystical and ancestral knowledge.
kurimanzutto’s solo presentation by Orozco feels more like a museum show. Presenting recent paintings, sculptures, and intimate drawings from the artist’s sketchbooks, intricately connected to the places the artist lives, the show is beautifully curated throughout their stunning gallery space; this show is not to be missed.
One of Mexico City’s hallmarks is the seamless connection between the worlds of art and design. Ago Projects is one of the most important designer representation spaces and their current exhibition, “Amuletos,” by Agnes Studio, is a must-see. Ago Projects is founded by Rudy F. Weissenberg and Rodman Primack.
The Best Mexico City Moment
Wyatt Kahn in Mexico City.
A truly unique moment for me was the opportunity to speak with artist Wyatt Kahn at a brunch hosted in his honor by Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Xavier Hufkens, and Galería Mascota on the occasion of the opening of “Fantasmas (Ghosts)” at the astonishing Museo Anahuacalli. The Anahuacalli Museum was designed by the muralist Diego Rivera to house his collection of 50,000 pre-Colombian objects, 2,000 of which are on view. Kahn’s twenty sculptural paintings are inserted into the collection and the building which at once reads as a cave and a temple, creating an incredible juxtaposition.
Best Mexico City Surprise
The Olivia Foundation in Mexico City.
Throughout this week I’ve encountered such incredible creativity and cultural depth here in Mexico City. An eye-opening experience was visiting the inaugural exhibition at the Olivia Foundation, founded by Jana and Guillermo González. Housed in a breathtaking space designed by Alberto Kalach — TAX, the Olivia Foundation announced its presence on the Mexican art scene with Between Us, an exhibition curated by the visionary Diana Nawi. “Between Us” pulled world-class artworks from the collection of Jana and Guillermo, engaging with intergenerational dialogues and a focus on female abstraction. Throughout the city, it has been inspiring to see arts foundations on the rise, with the Olivia Foundation surely marking its presence as a mainstay for years to come.
Best Mexico City Vibe
I love Mexico City’s vibe as a place for younger gallerists to present unknown and emerging artists. There were openings throughout the week including at Campeche and Peana, that brought out a young, edgy crowd including next-gen artists and curators coming out to support their own. The vibe reminds me of Berlin or New York’s East Village in the ‘90s. I can’t wait to see how this culture develops as the city continues to grow and gain the international recognition it deserves!
Sara Fitzmaurice’s Best Mexico City Discovery
Encountering Marco A. Castillo’s works in “La Casa del Decorador: la revolución de la vida diaria,” curated by Dorothée Dupuis, was a surprising and lovely experience. The exhibition was presented beautifully, on view in the Colonia Roma Sur, a never-before-open-to-the-public space showcasing a new body of work stemming from Castillo’s research on the utopia of Cuban design from the early years of the revolution. The presentation was thoughtfully presented and a design-lovers paradise!
