art in full bloom in Mexico
I came home happy and more in love with Mexico than ever before (it was my third time, but the first two don’t really count, as I’d spent those trips lounging on the beach) after my trip to Mexico earlier this year. However, I had made a serious beginner’s mistake. I tried to cram a million things into not nearly enough days.
So, to help you avoid the same pitfall, I’d suggest zooming in on one particular area, my personal highlight: its museums and private foundations. It’s probably not a surprising choice, given that I work in the art world and am known for sharing anything and everything art-related on Instagram. (Fun fact: I even wrote my thesis on private versus public museums in the Netherlands.)
And while I obviously love great galleries and storied museums, for me, private foundations, studios and smaller art spaces are must-visits. It’s like finding a restaurant where only locals eat—you know you’ve won the lottery. There are many wonderful examples throughout the country, but there are three that are worth the flight alone.
Puerto Escondido and Mexico City
Founded by artist Bosco Sodi (whose work—shown worldwide, including at Axel Vervoordt’s Kanaal—I love), Casa Wabi was first on my list. Though I visited the Puerto Escondido location, there’s also an outpost in Mexico City. The breathtaking building, designed by renowned architect Tadao Ando (you might know him from Paris’s Bourse de Commerce!), sits right on the water. Part of it is still Bosco’s studio, so we were asked not to take pictures, as new, unseen works were in progress. This felt incredibly special, as I got a glimpse into his practice in his hometown.
Casa Wabi is a non-profit civil association that fosters exchanges between contemporary art and local communities through five main programmes: residencies, exhibitions, clay, cinema and a mobile library. In addition to the exhibition space, Casa Wabi offers a beautiful permanent collection and community-focused initiatives like clay workshops and a chicken coop.
You can only visit if you book a tour, so plan ahead!
Mexico City
A former colleague tipped me off about Olivia Foundation, which had just opened a few days before my trip. I’m so glad I went—it was incredible. This early 1900s building, redesigned by architects Alberto Kalach and Carlos Zedillo, is filled top to bottom with works by outstanding female artists curated by Diana Nawi. The exhibition Between Us, the foundation’s inaugural show, highlights abstract works across generations, featuring major pieces by Helen Frankenthaler and Lee Krasner.
The exhibit includes pieces that explore abstraction as a means of personal expression and re-envision the world around us. There are also intimate, introspective figurative paintings by artists like Louise Bourgeois and Tracey Emin. The Artist Spotlight series debuts major works by contemporary artists; during my visit, Sophia Loeb’s work was featured on the top floor, and I instantly fell in love with her colour use and vibrant works.
Fondation Olivia is visitable by appointment only, so definitely get your ducks in a row early if you want to see this special space.
Mexico City
I’m bending the rules a bit here, since Museo Tamayo is technically no longer a private museum. However, it began as one. Founded in 1981 by artist Rufino Tamayo and his wife, Olga, to house their personal collection of modern and contemporary art and designed by architects Teodoro González de León and Abraham Zabludovsky, the museum was eventually handed over to the Mexican government to ensure it would be publicly accessible (lucky us).
We were extremely fortunate to catch Ragnar Kjartansson’s The Visitors. The multi-screen video installation immerses you in recordings of musicians in a house in upstate New York, each playing the same song in different rooms. To add to the experience, a live performance with Mexican musicians began just when we exited the video room, moving through a staged set in the museum. The entire experience was goosebump-inducing. The museum’s permanent collection is also wonderful.
All these places make me incredibly grateful for artists and private collectors who share their work with the world. Enjoy!
Sanne Talmon
Work and pleasure seem to mix seamlessly for Sanne. And you know what? She's not mad about it. The head of Unfair23, a curated art fair in Amsterdam, and an agent for artists, Sanne lives and breathes contemporary art. Though most of her time is spent dreaming up creative programming for the fair or tracking down super cool emerging talent, Sanne always finds time for fantastic food and delicious wine (she even had her own natural wine label for a while!). Travel along with Sanne as she explores the world as the ultimate culture vulture.
