ESTACIÓN MATERIAL VOL. 4 WAS PRESENTED AS A GROUP EXHIBITION FEATURING 21 PROJECTS FROM ACROSS MEXICO, PRIORITIZING A FLUID JOURNEY AND REAFFIRMING GUADALAJARA AS A KEY POINT IN CONTEMPORARY ART
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Estación Material Vol. 4 broke away from the traditional art fair format, offering a more fluid, spatially conscious experience inside Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo. After two editions at Cerámica Suro factory, the fair has evolved with a new sensibility—one attuned to the visitors’ rhythm and exhibition dynamics.
This edition was conceived as a large group exhibition, responding thoughtfully to the space, its audience, and removing the common visual saturation in the art fair circuit. It brought together 21 presentations from both established galleries and independent initiatives across Mexico, each showcasing an artist with previously unseen work.
Galleries
Sala: GAM opened the experience with Mariana Paniagua’s paintings suspended from the ceiling—inviting visitors to stand at their center. Next to it, Gala Berger at PEANA and Yeni Mao at Campeche marked the beginning of the route with works brimming with physicality and gesture. Terreno Baldío presented Patricio Tejeda’s pieces, while Galería Curro hosted Alejandro Almanza Pereda’s glass installation—delicately composed and seemingly on the edge of collapse. Further along, Galerie Nordenhake exhibited Jerónimo Rüedi’s work, while Guadalajara90210 featured Ernesto Solana’s botanical sculptures.
On the upper floor, Proyecto Paralelo welcomed visitors with a piece by Melanie Smith. Pequod Co exhibited Joaquín Segura’s installation crafted from reclaimed protest banners, wood, rope, wire, and polymer paint. At Travesía Cuatro, Gonzalo Lebrija presented El fantasma de la libertad (The Phantom of Liberty), a photograph of a cloud-filled sky with suspended equestrian obstacles. Othiana Roffiel’s paintings were on view at Galería Karen Huber.
At Saenger, Sebastián Hidalgo’s Cristales metamórficos (Metamorphic Crystals) series fused marble, silicates, and mineral pigments into textured, dynamic surfaces. PALMA exhibited Napoleón Aguilera’s sculptures—featuring boots, hats, and neon signs —that explore materiality, regional identity, and collaboration with artisans.
At Tiro al Blanco, Isa Carrillo’s OR (Latin for Sun) consisted of embroidered energy diagrams on linen and jute, naturally dyed and inspired by the ever-present bath of light around us.
Projects
Beyond the galleries, six curatorial projects concluded their cycle within the Proyectos program, which started in 2023, being the second generation.
Azul Arena (Juárez), which focuses on northern-border practices, presented José Villalobos’s intimate works—wooden boxes, grills, and rug-like pieces inspired by his childhood hiding spots for magazines, layered with phrases, drawings, and photos. The performance Lo que escondemos (What We Hide) completed the presentation during the opening.
Aberrante (Morelia) showcased Roberto Carrillo Márquez, whose paintings and prints explore landscapes shaped by speculative thinking and science fiction.
Sala de Espera (Tijuana) presented I Don’t Want to Live Forever, But Things Are Better If I Stay by Luis Alonso Sánchez—a hypnotic, noise-filled reflection on memory and mortality.
Proyecto E.M.E (Cuernavaca) arrived with the ART BBYS—collectible figures inspired by Mexican art world characters, blending pop aesthetics with institutional critique.
Planta Libre (Mexicali) featured Tierra y libertad (Land and Freedom) by Miranda Varo, a visual inquiry into agricultural labor in Mexicali and the 1937 Asalto a las tierras movement.
Yutindudi (Sierra Mixteca) presented low-fire ceramics and Kumxëna’am by Kunt Vargas, a performance blending nature recordings from sacred spaces in Tlahuitoltepec with trombone improvisation, culminating in a hot air balloon release. The rain that accompanied much of the performance undoubtedly added to the spectacle of the moment.
Plataforma Artists-in-residence
Plataforma also spotlighted its artists-in-residence. Hiram Constantino (Jalisco) explores sociopolitical themes, sustainability, and speculative futures through drawing. Santiago Evans Canales (Mexico) works with color, materiality, and art history, using his personal experience as both poetic and formal trigger.
Creative Talks, Dancing, & Gastronomy
Evenings were anything but quiet. Baile sin Piedad (Dance Without Mercy) turned the terrace into a dance floor with DJ sets by Gabriel Rico, Edgar Cobian, and Ana Paula Santana. VOCAL sessions sparked dialogues between art, architecture, gastronomy, and textiles. On Sunday, Mini Material welcomed children with workshops and beatbox storytelling, proving that art can—and should—be for everyone. Each day offered new culinary experiences, though Rintintin’s coffee and bread remained a beloved choice among visitors.
Estación Material reaffirmed its presence in Guadalajara: a gathering point that actively contributes to the city’s contemporary art ecosystem, building a more connected, visible, and solid cultural landscape.
See you at the next edition!