April 16, 2008

Made in Mexico

In this issue of Artkrush, we seize on the occasion of Mexico City's FEMACO art fair to explore contemporary trends in Mexican art, from the playful to the politically incendiary. We examine artistic practices spanning from the lucha libre-inspired performances and large serial installations of Carlos Amorales to Teresa Margolles' morbid reflections on death and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's innovative use of motion-sensitive surveillance and SMS messaging, and we spotlight José León Cerrillo's geometric silk screens and optical installations. Editor Paul Laster sits down with international art dealer Ramis Barquet to discuss his interest in Latin American art, as well as modernist and contemporary design, and for our media pick, we suggest an expansive Frida Kahlo catalogue celebrating the centennial of the artist's birth. Beyond Mexico, we look toward a solo exhibition of Barkley L. Hendricks' retro African-American portraits at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and a survey of the faux fin-de-siècle photography of McDermott & McGough at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin.