'Ebullición', a Group Show at Kunstraum Am Schauplatz, Vienna

"That which is composed of constituents to form a unified whole, not in the manner of a heap, but as a syllable, is evidently more than the sum of its constituents. A syllable is not the sum of their sounds; ba is not the same as b plus a [...] So the syllable is something for itself; it’s not just her lute, but something else."

Aristotle: Metaphysics 1 

In the last few years Mexico City has experienced an internationally acclaimed boom as a result of a multi-faceted net of factors. Balancing a delicate equilibrium of safety for outsiders, and a violently corrupt reality, the mega city is on its way of becoming a world capital for culture and tourism, mirroring successful capitalist models but – literally –  built on shaky ground. 

Integrating the affluence and influence of internationalism through the waves of artists and young professionals floating in and out of Mexico as one very specific type of global tourism, the creative scene in the city looks very different now than it did in the 90s. The question is, how does a particular idiosyncrasy survive processes of exoticization in the market of identities, while thriving in a world of new demands? 

Organized by Maximiliano León, Andrew Birk and Lukas Willmann, Ebullición presents the work of twenty-six artists based in or associated with Mexico City for the first time in Vienna. The show brings a selection of active agents in the field, from artists to music collectives, to map out the extent of this diverse network. Creating their own structures outside of insititutionalised formats, artists and creatives have found that mutual recognition and generational support are the most effective ways of achieving visibility and agency. In a place with a polarized and unstable socio-economical base, and during times of attention as currency, true cooperation appears as the only way that the independent parts can benefit from the force of the whole.  

— Sira Pizà

1 Translated into German by Adolf Lasson, Jena 1907, p. 129