Bound for Mexico City? Here Are Five Galleries Not to Miss at This Year’s Zona Maco

A guide to the 15th anniversary of the fair, widely considered to be the most important in Latin America.

Zona Maco, 2017. Photo: Mauricio Aguilar.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Zona Maco, considered by many to be the most influential contemporary art fair in Latin America. At the very least, the Mexico City-based event boasts the most international reach of any fair in that part of the globe: this year 170 exhibitors from 27 different countries will descend on the Centro Citibanamex in the capital city, with 60,000 visitors expected to follow suit.

If you happen to be one of those visitors, here are a few highlights from artnet Member galleries to keep an eye out for at the fair.

 

Gary Nader Fine Art

Fernando Botero, A Concert, (1995). Courtesy of Gary Nader Fine Art.

Miami-based gallery Gary Nader will devote its Zona Maco space solely to the playful, politically-infused works of Colombian master painter Fernando Botero. A miniature solo show of sorts, the booth will bring together both paintings and sculptures from the 85-year-old artist, all of which, of course, will feature the curvy, voluminous subjects for which he is widely known.

Sean Kelly

Frank Thiel, Kiara Isabel & Karla Amelia Soliño González, La Habana, Plaza de la Revolución, Nuevo Vedado (2016). © Frank Thiel / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

Almost a third of New York dealer Sean Kelly’s roster will be represented in Mexico City this year, including many artists who have had shows at the gallery within the last year (James Casebere, Iran do Espírito Santo, and Sam Moyer, to name three). While there’s a wide variety of works on view, keep an eye out for Frank Thiel’s lavish photographs of Quinceañeras, shot in the 15 municipalities of Havana, Cuba. These works will also be on view in Thiel’s upcoming solo show at the gallery, opening February 10th.

David Zwirner

Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Buddy, 2017. © Philip-Lorca diCorcia. Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York/London/Hong Kong.

For better or worse, many galleries this year seem to have decided against presenting thematically organized shows at Zona Maco this year, opting instead for more diverse offerings. David Zwirner is a good example of that. The powerhouse gallery brings a wide variety of works to Mexico City, showing off their increasingly large and diverse roster of A-listers. Altogether, 21 artists are represented in the gallery’s booth, from canonized names like Josef Albers and Dan Flavin to mid-career stalwarts like Lisa Yuskavage and Philip-Lorca diCorcia, all the way to younger stars like Oscar Murillo and Josh Smith.

Bortolami

Barbara Kasten, Construct PC III-A (1981). Courtesy of the artist and Bortolami, New York.

Barbara Kasten follows up her fantastic fall exhibition at Bartolami with a Zona Maco booth devoted entirely to her work. Featuring 10 of her vibrant, geometric photos from the late ’80s, as well as five black-and-white works from the last couple of years, it would be hard to overlook this booth if you wanted to.

Galerie Lelong

Ana Mendieta, Silueta del Laberinto (Laberinth Blood Imprint) 1974. © Ana Mendieta. Courtesy of Galerie Lelong & Co.

For its second turn at Zona Maco, Galerie Lelong presents a selection of works from Latin America and by artists inspired by the region, such as a series of Ana Mendieta photographs shot in Mexico in the 1970s and a gridded gouache on paper by Hélio Oiticica. Samuel Levi Jones, known for his deconstructed book sculptures, makes his Mexican debut, while hanging outside the booth is a Gabriel García Márquez-referencing neon sign by Alfredo Jaar.

Zona Maco is on view through Sunday, February 11 at the Centro Citibanamex on AV. Conscripto 311, Lomas de Sotelo, Mexico City.


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