Crowds of VIPs filled the aisles of the sprawling Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City on Wednesday (5 February) for the preview of Zona Maco, which boasts more than 220 galleries across several sectors. And despite a series of rocky geopolitical events leading up to the fair, fears of US president Donald Trump’s threatened 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico—now suspended for at least a month—did nothing to dampen the mood or commercial activity.
“A lot of Americans have been asking if we’re worried about tariffs, but I think the people who are most scared about tariffs are Americans,” says a staffer on the stand of local powerhouse gallery Labor. He adds: “The first day has been very good, very diverse, with people from the US, Canada, Europe and also Russia.” [...]
[...] Another gallery headquartered in New York, Cristin Tierney, also had some sales and strong interest on opening day at its stand, featuring a cross-generational group of abstractionists. It is the gallery’s fourth time participating in the fair and, according to director Candace Moeller, that consistent presence has been key to building relationships with collectors in Mexico and further afield who return to Zona Maco every year.
“They know who we are, and they have an established relationship with us and our programme,” she says. As for the stand’s focus on abstraction, she adds: “The history of art and design in Mexico City is slanted towards abstraction. Abstract work, and particularly painting, is very popular—abstraction is king here.”
The fair is indeed replete with compelling abstract works, including in its Modern art sector, where exhibitors are offering works by, among others, the Venezuelan artists Jesús Rafael Soto and Carlos Cruz-Diez and the Argentine sculptor Julio Le Parc.
