Material, Vol. 8

The Mexican fair Material, Vol. 8 has opened a new stage after becoming independent from the most important fair in all of Latin America: ZONA MACO. Previously, both were held in the same week: MACO was the main fair, in which internationally renowned galleries participated, and Material was the youngest, with more experimental or risky proposals. The founders of the exhibition, Marcos Ruiz, Rodrigo Feliz, Isa Castilla and Brett Schultz, decided to move it to the last week of April, specifically from the 28th to the 1st of May, right after the opening of the Biennale from Venice In this return, after the cancellation, last year, due to the pandemic, they also inaugurated headquarters in an old textile factory located in the historic colony of Santa María la Ribera, home to countless artist studios and spaces vital cultures A brave move that indicated that, after seven editions, this fair was ready to fly on its own. A risky act that, fortunately, turned out very well. They carefully elaborated both the program, in which proposals were presented and that of Sound+, which seeks to be a bridge between sound culture and the different sides of the Mexican artistic scene, directed by Andrés Levin and Moisès Sacal Hadid; like the Projects section, to help younger galleries, who receive free exhibition space, one-on-one mentoring and professional workshops as part of a program at the fair that has been running for two years. Some of these galleries are Salón Silicón, Lolitapank, Nohacernada.org and Janet40, from Mexico City; Deslave, from Tijuana; La Cresta, from Monterrey; Interior 2.1 and Save the Artist, from Guadalajara, and Chérpiri from Cherán and Yope Projects Space, from Oaxaca de Juárez.

In addition, the most outstanding national galleries that participated in the Galleries section were: Lodos and Llano, from Mexico City; PEANA, from Monterrey; Guadalajara90210, from Guadalajara; Parallel /// Oaxaca, from Oaxaca, and Galería MUY, from San Cristóbal de las Casas, in addition to international galleries such as Instituto de Visión, from Bogota; Deli Gallery, from New York, and Art o Bombón Projects, from Barcelona, which presented the work of two Catalan artists who are growing internationally: Josep Maynou and Aldo Urbano.

Material is one of the most accessible fairs, since the entrance is worth about 15 dollars, and it stands out for an innovative architectural proposal, designed by the APRDELESP architecture studio, with an adaptable, modular and reusable exhibition system that a visually attractive, orderly and clean space, with much less material and waste; an important step towards reducing the environmental impact, which merges with the proposal of furniture designed and produced by Fabien Cappello for this edition and the previous ones.

In short, this fair is another example of the commitment and will to activate the contemporary art scene in Mexico, which unfortunately does not happen in a city with as much potential as Barcelona.