APAA’s Top Picks from ZⓈonamaco México & Onsite Guide
ZⓈonamaco kicks off this week! To mark the fair’s return, we’re highlighting a selection of standout works chosen by our advisors, alongside our curated onsite guide to the must-see exhibitions and favorite dining spots across the city. The fair runs Wednesday, February 4, through Sunday, February 8. Learn more here.
Thank you to our advisors for sharing their top picks from this year’s presentation at ZⓈonamaco!
Advisor Top Picks from ZⓈonamaco
Alicja Kwade, Carrier, 2024
“At the center of this work by Kwade is a bronze chair whose seat is blocked by a rough boulder, or whose utilitarianism, balance, and grounding are destabilized by a massive stone. The raw, natural structure of the rock forms a powerful contrast to the clear, human-made form of the chair. This juxtaposition raises questions of stability—both literally and metaphorically. Kwade's sculptures, whether domestic in scale or room-sized installations, always inspire wonder and awe in me for their brilliant concepts meticulously realized in forms that help us question our most basic assumptions about our bodies in space.”
Bronze, stone
44 1/8 x 15 3/4 x 27 1/2 inches
Presented by Gallery OMR, CDMX
Clotilde Jiménez, Niña con su muñeca, 2025
“Jiménez’s mixed media collages explore materiality and the societal constructs of race, gender, community and sexuality through a transformative layering of everyday materials like wallpaper, Mexican craftpaper, and clothing remnants. His practice reflects a constant state of evolution across various mediums, mirroring personal growth, spirituality and identity. He touches on notions of queerness, blackness and Hispanic heritage. In this mixed media collage on paper, Jimenez weaves modern and contemporary art sources to depict varying narratives. There is a fluidity in the figure and dolls as the artist investigates identity and forges connections between the disparate shapes. A child appears to swaddle a doll in a concerned gentle moment while a seemingly discarded doll is oddly compressed in the pictorial space. Ultimately Jimenez deftly uses collage as building blocks to illustrate different endearing characters and a means to understand internal conflict.
I developed a deep appreciation for Clotilde Jimenez' practice when I saw his most extensive presentation to date in the 2025 exhibition, Shapeshift, at moCa Cleveland. Jimenez (b. Honolulu, HI) studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, was recently recognized for the Official Olympic Poster series he created for the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games and currently works in Mexico City.”
Mixed media collage on paper
57 1/2 x 42 inches
Presented by Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
Wu Chi-Tsung, Cyano-Collage 238, 2024
“At first glance, Wu Chi-Tsung's work made me wonder whether he collaged large-scale negatives to create these cyanotypes, or if he made them as photograms by placing objects on chemically sensitized sheets of paper. Neither. Instead, the artist crumples sheets of rice paper, exposes them to the sun, and lets nature take its course. Back in the studio, he brings the elements together. There is a quiet magnetism in the work, a contemporary echo of traditional Chinese landscape’s attention to the harmony of space, light, and the rhythms of nature, reimagined through paper, sunlight, chance, and the artist’s careful orchestration of these elements.”
Cyanotype on paper, acrylic gel, acrylic, mounted on aluminum panel
59-1/16 x 29-1/2 inches
Presented by Sean Kelly
Álvaro Urbano, Noches en los jardines de España, 2025
“Oranges fabricated in concrete and carefully hand-painted to exhibit the process of decay is an example of Álvaro Urbano’s work of staged realities. This sculpture is a small example of the larger immersive installations Urbano constructs whereby the viewer enters a set that poses questions about the passage of time and the fragility of life.
Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain) refers to the 1916 musical composition by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla that references the Patio de los Naranjos – the famous orange tree garden that is a is emblematic of both Spanish and Islamic gardens. Falla was exiled to Argentina after the rise of Franco’s fascist rule and never returned to Spain.
Urbano was recently awarded the Chanel Next Prize and has an upcoming show at the Museo Jumex.”
Concrete, paint
3 elements
Presented by Travesia Cuatro
Miguel Calderón, Social Climber 1, 2025
“As one of the most celebrated artists living and working in Mexico today, Miguel Calderón is best known for work infused with a biting humor that satirizes interpersonal relationships in Mexican society. In Social Climber 1, on view at kurimanzutto's Zona Maco booth, Calderón has adhered resin stones, typically installed as "holds" on a rock climbing wall, across a steel surface. Screws and random marks in the holds hint at faces, and their scattered placement suggests a crowd assembled, perhaps at a cocktail party. In this sense, they give a double meaning of the work’s title: they serve as apparatus to ascend, conduits for climbing, for those who aspire to scale society’s walls: social climbers for social climbers.”
Stainless steel and resin stones on plywood
94 1/2 x 47 1/4 x 5 7/8 inches
Presented by kurimanzutto
Onsite Guide for ZⓈonamaco
Museo Frida Kahlo.
Exhibitions and Museums to Visit
Don't miss "Japan: From Myth to Manga" at Museo Franz Mayer — a playful deep dive into Japan's cultural history, on view through Feb 8. The museum has a number of other exciting exhibitions on as well.
Head to Galería RGR for Roberto Matta, "La conciencia es un árbol" — a striking look at the surrealist master's inner world.
Experience Sabino Guisu: "Axolotl Creation" at MAIA Contemporary, where mythology and the natural world come together in vivid, layered works.
See Eamon Ore-Giron, "Chilango Smoke" at Casa Siza, organized by James Cohan Gallery — a deep, resonant exhibition rooted in place and memory.
Visit "Columna Rota" at Museo de la Ciudad de México — a powerful installation that speaks to endurance and transformation.
Stop by Museo Vivo de Muralismo for an intimate look at Mexico's mural tradition, just steps from the Zócalo.
Wander the vibrant, ever-changing murals of the Del Barrio Street Art Festival.
A visit to Museo Frida Kahlo and La Casa Azul remains essential — no matter how many times you've been.
Explore Templo Mayor, the ancient archaeological site at the heart of the city, right beside the cathedral.
Dining Recommendations
For dining and drinks, try Baldío (a Michelin green star restaurant pushing the boundaries of Mexican cuisine), Gardela for warm Italo-Argentine fare, or Baltra for a refined cocktail after a long day at the fair.
If you want something more casual, Maizajo is both a beloved taco stand and a gourmet destination depending on the hour. End your evening at Tlecan for inventive cocktails in a lively atmosphere — or make a detour to Churreria El Moro to watch the churros being made fresh.
Baldío.
