In Mérida, Marta Cabané-Navarro Lives In a Creative Haven
Marta Cabané-Navarro knew it from the moment she walked into a home for sale in Mérida. The mid-century modern home was perfect for an artist.
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Assata Akil’s Journey to Authentic Self-Expression in Art and Writing
We have four questions for artist-writer-storyteller Assata Akil about her career and philosophy. And about her fierce fictional character, IFE.
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Artist Juan Pueblo Has the Most Open Studio in Mérida
When Juan Pueblo shares his canvas with other artists, he thinks about how rappers work. “In rap, there is always collaboration between artists. If musicians can do it, why not painters?” says the effusive Mérida-born painter, whose full name is Juan Pablo Quintal García. “I’ve always wanted to be an artist, and I think, more…
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RIP Jorge Guerra, a Mérida artist who brought life and humor to reclaimed wood
The art community is mourning the death of Mérida sculptor Jorge Guerra, known for his reclaimed wooden branches sold on the Paseo Montejo as charming, often whimsical pieces that capture the essence of nature and humanity. His unique artistic vision and commitment to environmental sustainability made him a beloved figure in Mexico’s contemporary art scene….
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NYC streetwear legend Dave Ortiz is in fine form in Mérida
In a makeshift art studio behind B&G Atelier, Dave Ortiz sits surrounded by wooden shoe lasts—those wooden foot-shaped forms used by cobblers to make shoes. To most people, they’re simply utilitarian objects. To Ortiz, they’re canvases waiting to be transformed. “I sit with them for a while, and then they tell me what they want…
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Ric Best talks about how Mérida has influenced his latest works in more ways than one
For years, Ric Best never really needed a physical art studio, as he did work strictly in the digital realm. With space at a premium, Best says, “It was easier than painting while I was in New York City.” Four years ago, one of the main attractions in moving to Mérida was building a two-story…
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Samantha Michell: Capturing memories and movement
Born in Chicago to a Colombian mother and a Mexican father, a transitory lifestyle marked Samantha Michell’s early years, spending time between the United States and Mexico. However, her heart has always been firmly rooted in Mérida. “I spent 18 years living here, going back and forth,” she recalls. “I’ve technically been here more than…
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Lorraine Toohey Followed an Artist’s Path to a Vibrant Community
As a young artist, Lorraine Toohey embarked on an unconventional journey that eventually led her to Mérida, a stark contrast to her hometown of Edmonton. After graduating with a BFA and an art education degree, she was drawn to Vancouver’s artistic energy. “At the time, the Conservative government was cutting back on arts education. There…
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Reclaiming X’Tabay: A Conversation with Artists Juana Alicia and Tirso González Araiza
In the heart of the Yucatán Peninsula, a captivating artistic collaboration challenges conventional narratives and redefines the essence of a Maya legend. Muralist Juana Alicia and writer Tirso González Araiza have joined forces to present “La X’Tabay. El libro de los libros” (“The X’Tabay. The Book of Books”), an exhibition on view at the Palacio…
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From Inside Her Octopus Fridge, Artist Claribel Calderius Discusses Her Latest Work in Mérida
An artist-to-artist conversation in a most unconventional art studio.
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RIP Mérida Artist Samuel Barrera Ceballos
Mérida-born surrealist painter Samuel Barrera Ceballos, who gave up a career in law to follow his passion for dreamscapes and fantastical portraits, has died. The self-taught artist, 56, is remembered for his kindness and eagerness to collaborate with other artists. Barrera left behind law school after he developed a passion for painting while designing and…
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Sedeculta Creates Colorful Catalog for the Artists of Yucatán
In Situ, a new two-part catalog of Yucatán’s best-known artists, is online and filled with information and images. Sedeculta’s colorful catalog features portraits of each artist and a small portfolio of their work, all accessible free online or at kiosks set up at the Center for Visual Arts, or the Centro de Artes Visuales, where…
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Monica Rezman: A busy artist with an elephant in the room
Getting into Monica Rezman’s studio from the street takes a minute or two. It’s on a busy Mérida road in the Centro, and the contemporary house she built behind it in 2021-22 is set way at the back of the deep property, with a garden in the space in between, so it’s a bit of…
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Peter Karavais Explains the Motivation Behind Casa Cascabel
Tina Marie Wood and I spent a year traveling around Mexico with the intention of finding the right place to build Casa Cascabel.
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Hole earth: A California artist sees virtue beneath the surface
In the California desert, Angel Chen’s white geodesic dome bubbles up from the ground. In Mérida, she’s taken the inverse approach. She’s going underground. Angel is exploring a project to create an inhabitable subterranean dome scooped out from Yucatán’s jungle earth. “This artwork is buried in the ground. Art made directly in the landscape. Sculpted…
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Animated artistry: JAAR sees movement in his burgeoning career
A Mexican painter introduced to the Mérida art community by Adele Aguirre at SoHo Galleries has found a new direction. Earlier this year, the artist Jorge Alberto Aguilar Rojas — better known by his initials JAAR — attended the Annecy Animation Film Festival in Paris. He came home deeply influenced by what he saw. “This trip…
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Alfredo Romero: Artful archaeology of the recent past
Armed with a simple but trusty set of tools, artist Alfredo Romero has made his way across Mexico, literally peeling layers of history found beneath decades of paint. Alfred is obsessed with memory and what he refers to as “the archaeology of the recent past.” Anyone who has spent time in Mexico knows that painted…
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Celebrating the life and birth of the woman, the icon, Frida Kahlo
Born on July 6, 1907, if still alive Frida Kahlo would be turning 116 years old. However, Kahlo passed away on July 13, 1954, at the age of 47.
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MEL unlocks private studios where Mérida artists work
A self-guided tour of 26 private art studios will raise money for the Merida English Library. MEL has enlisted 43 artists from Mexico, Argentina, Canada, France, Spain and the United States to participate in the event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 18 and 19. Artwork will be on sale at…
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Emilio Salazar Touché, graduate of the art underground
Mérida artist Emilio Salazar Touché was influenced by muralists and other painters, but his real education came from his own collective.
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Yucatán’s symphonic orchestra first violinist Leonel Armenta dies
The death of first violinist, Leonel Armenta, has shaken the OSY after what has already been an terrible month for the state symphony.
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Juan Batta: Mérida artist against the wall
For Juan Batta, art was always there. In fact, you could say it was there from the very beginning: in his genes. His parents met at La Esmeralda, one of the most prestigious art schools in Mexico City. They both went on to have careers as painters and visual artists, in the midst of…
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New comic book chronicles the fall of the Aztec Empire
A new line of comics titled “Aztec Empire” brings to the page in stunning color an account of the fall of this great civilization.
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In Merida’s Centro, a hidden gallery houses fascinating, made-in-Mexico art
A warehouse-like space guards the work of dozens of artists from all over the country.
That’s all for now
That’s all for now