SITAC Resistance and seduction: the Mexican case

Regarding its artistic production, Mexico is today one of the most visible countries in the contemporary art world. This does not mean though that the practices that this hype exploits represent comprehensively the complex artistic reality of the country. Nevertheless and given their imminent presence in international circuits, it is worth asking what is the relationship they establish with a particular tradition of resistance linked mainly to generational confrontation and the denial of tradition? In this sense a good part of twentieth century art in Mexico has been raised in combative terms within the strictly artistic sphere while appearing surprisingly docile in the face of its instrumentalization and political legitimation. The eyes of the world of international art focus their interest on an art that is supposed to be the product of survival in the Megalopolis. This biased view of the Mexican art scene has functioned as a powerful vehicle for dissemination and promotion. This situation is paradigmatic within the framework of the operation of the art system within our borders, but also in the international arena willing to absorb a set of practices through strategies that evoke the ghosts of colonialism. Hence the need to raise the debate on the concept of resistance in its multiple relationships with art in Mexico and from different experiences in order to clarify the budgets that are perpetuated outside, while at the same time assuming the need for serious self-criticism inside.

Coordinator: Olivier Debroise