Fifth edition of Guadalajara Art Week reaffirms city’s status as a cultural destination

Guadalajara Art Week, now in its fifth edition, celebrated the city's rich cultural legacy from September 24 to 27. As Mexico's third-largest city, Guadalajara has been increasingly recognized as a significant cultural destination, hosting events such as Estación Material, a boutique fair launched by Brett Shultz of Feria Material.

The fair brought together 18 galleries and independent project spaces from Mexico City and Guadalajara, showcasing exhibitions, open studio events, and independent projects in an unrushed atmosphere.

The fair, held at Plataforma, a non-profit space in a former funeral home, focused on activating the national art scene amidst the pandemic. It featured group presentations in an open layout and aimed to engage local collectors through a new hosting committee and Mexico's first institutional acquisitions committee, inspired by Argentina's Arteba.

The Fundación Museo Reina Sofía from Madrid and the Saint Louis Art Museum participated in the acquisition programme, which aimed to support the local scene and advance Latin American representation in Mexico.

Local galleries, such as Palma, Guadalajara90210, and Travesía Cuatro, showcased their works alongside emerging initiatives supported by Material's two-year Projects programme. These initiatives included organisations from across Mexico, reflecting the diversity of art scenes beyond Mexico City. The event also featured the work of established artists connected to Guadalajara's art scene, such as Jorge Méndez Blake and Marco Rountree.

The week's programming revealed a growing art hub in the city's Morelos neighbourhood, where a former train storage space now houses studios and exhibition spaces for emerging artists.