Brian Belott

Dates: 5-8 February, 2015

Venue: Auditorio Blackberry, Mexico City

Web: http://material-fair.com/

The second edition of Mexico City’s Material Art Fair presented a selective group of 40 galleries and artist-run project spaces — from 10 countries and over 20 cities — chosen by the fair’s 2015 selection committee, which was comprised of John Riepenhoff, artist and co-owner of Green Gallery, Milwaukee; Beatriz López, Co-Director of Instituto de Visión, Bogota; Chris Sharp, curator and co-founder of Lulu, Mexico City; and Gerardo Contreras, curator and director of Preteen Gallery.

The fair’s 2015 public program featured an engaging series of daily conversations organized by the New York City-based online publication, Triple Canopy, under the title “How Far is Near.” These included, “In Search of a Model for Life” with Felipe Ehrenberg, Waysatta Fernández, Juan Caloca, and Sofia Olascoaga; “Universal Methods of Design” with Maru Calva, José León Cerrillo, and Prem Krishnamurthy; and “How to Demand the Impossible” with John Gibler, Gabriela Jauregui, and Isaac Torres.

Anna Gritz, associate curator at South London Gallery, curated the fair’s video program, “Sand in the Vaseline,” which featured three individual programs for artists Adriana Lara, Sophia Al-Maria, and Stuart Middleton.

Mexico City-based Distrito Editorial created the fair’s bookstore, presenting an impeccable selection of artist books, books about art, and small, limited-edition works mostly by Mexican artists.

Finally, beneath the stage at the Auditorio Blackberry was the Material Exhibitors Club: an ambitious group exhibition, performance space, and pop-up mezcal bar organized by the Lower East Side art bar, Beverly’s, with complimentary mezcal provided by Gracias a Dios.

2015 Exhibitor List:

321 Gallery, Brooklyn / Adams and Ollman, Portland / American Medium, Brooklyn / Aran Cravey, Los Angeles / Beverly’s, New York City / CARNE GALLERY, Bogotá / Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago / Casa Imelda, Mexico City / Clifton Benevento, New York City / COOPER COLE, Toronto / David Petersen Gallery, Minneapolis / East Hampton Shed, East Hampton / Et al., San Francisco / Fourteen30 Contemporary, Portland / François Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles / Grand Century, New York City / Green Gallery, Milwaukee / helper, Brooklyn / Instituto de Visión, Bogotá / Kunstverein Toronto, Toronto / Levy.Delval, Brussels / lodos, Mexico City / LOYAL, Stockholm / Lulu, México, D.F. / LVL3, Chicago / Mary Mary, Glasgow / Michael Jon Gallery, Miami+Detroit / Narwhal Contemporary, Toronto / New Galerie, Paris / Night Gallery, Los Angeles / P!, New York / Parallel Oaxaca, Oaxaca / Queer Thoughts, Nueva York / Regina Rex, Nueva York / Roberto Paradise, San Juan / Rolando Anselmi, Berlin / Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago / Smart Objects, Los Ángeles / What Pipeline, Detroit / The White Lodge, Córdoba / Yautepec, Mexico City