Something for Everyone at Zona Maco

From emerging artists to modern art and antiques, design and photography, nearly 220 exhibitors cover virtually every collecting category

(February 5-9) is technically one fair, but in practice it functions as four different fairs under one roof at the sprawling Citibanamex Center. Its main modern and contemporary art section, subdivided into four sectors, is the largest, with 133 galleries from nearly 30 countries this year. The design portion of the fair, divided into two sectors, includes another 59 exhibitors, ranging from established galleries—mainly from Mexico and the United States—to emerging designers in the Emerging section.

The Salón del Anticuario is aimed at collectors with more historical tastes, with ten galleries from Mexico offering ancient art, antiques, jewelry and decorative art. The Foto section features 19 galleries from Mexico, the United States, Peru and Europe.

The fair’s artistic director, Direlia Lazo, describes it as “a bridge that connects tradition with innovation, fostering dialogue between diverse voices in the art world and consolidating its place as a model for contemporary art in Latin America.”
Focus on freedom

The fair’s contemporary art offering is divided into a main section, the Arte Moderno sector, dedicated to 20th-century art; the Sur section, which highlights artists from the Global South; and the thematic sector Ejes, curated by Bernardo Mosqueira—the Brazilian curator and author who is chief curator at the Institute for Studies in Latin American Art in New York—and is dedicated to the theme of freedom.

The fair’s main sector includes many of Zona Maco’s heavyweights, from established local galleries like Kurimanzutto, Labor, OMR, and Proyectos Monclova, to major international galleries like Galleria Continua, Galerie Nordenhake, Pace, and Sundaram Tagore Gallery. But there are also ambitious spaces like Furiosa, a two-year-old gallery in Mexico City, which is making its debut at the fair with a solo booth of new sculptures incorporating reclaimed and welded materials, created by Charlie Nesi, an artist based in New York.

Another gallery making its debut at Zona Maco is Afriart Gallery, based in Kampala, Uganda, which will dedicate its booth in the Ejes sector to works by Ethiopian fiber artist Fiker Solomon and Ugandan artist Sanaa Gateja, known as the “Bead King.” In the same sector, New York-based gallery Kates-Ferri Projects is presenting a solo booth with new works by Salvadoran painter, sculptor, and installation artist Jose Campos, known artistically as Studio Lenca.

Zona Maco's Ejes sector highlights artists from the Global South, including Ugandan Sanaa Gateja at Afriart Gallery Courtesy Afriart Gallery

The South sector has been organized by Ecuadorian curator Manuela Moscoso, executive and artistic director of the Center for Art, Research and Alliances in New York. Denver-based gallery K Contemporary presents a solo position with new works by Marielle Plaisir, a French-Caribbean artist whose work examines the legacies of colonialism.

Also in the South sector, Mexico-based gallery Suma presents a body of work by Mexican-British artist and anthropologist Alinka Echeverría. Echeverría has spent more than a decade creating her series The Road to Tepeyac, which documents the annual pilgrimage of millions of Catholics to Tepeyac Hill in northern Mexico City.

The fair is also bringing back a major public engagement initiative that debuted last year: a $100,000 art prize, in partnership with the Vienna-based Erarta Foundation, awarded to the creator of a work chosen by public vote. The winning piece will be announced on the final day of the fair, with the cash prize split between the artist and his or her gallery.

At the time of the prize launch, fair founder Zélika García commented: “This collaboration reinforces our commitment to artists and galleries, and ensures a unique and ever-evolving experience for our visitors.”
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