The Eighth Edition of ARTE/SANO ÷ Artistas at the Museo de Arte Popular
The eighth edition of ARTE/SANO ÷ Artistas at the Museo de Arte Popular (MAP) confirms that Mexican craftsmanship is a living, evolving knowledge rather than a frozen heritage. This exhibition reveals how ancient techniques engage in dialogue with contemporary art, creating pieces that challenge and reinvent tradition.
A Living Tradition
From now until February 22, 2026, the MAP presents how these ancestral skills interact with modern art to produce works that go beyond mere respect for tradition. Instead, they challenge, overflow, and reinvent it.
Each piece in this exhibition is a testament to Mexico’s ongoing creation of its past, not just preservation. The potency of symbolism inherent in these crafts continues to shape the nation’s cultural landscape.
Collaborative Spirit
In this edition, the participating pairs from seventeen states, Chile, and invited artists have managed something rare: working without visible hierarchies or the usual patronizing attitude towards “popular” and “cultured” art. The result is an exhibition where ancient techniques are not just referenced or embellished but become co-authors of meaning.
Standout Pieces
“Criaturas fantásticas” by Gigi Mizrahi and Daniel Colín transforms real seeds into delicate jewel-like sculptures, reminding us that nature has always been the first artist. The formal lightness does not diminish the conceptual weight; each piece serves as a reminder that organic forms precede and surpass human design.
“Latir finito I y II” by Nimbe and master Ricardo Molina achieves a rare poetic intensity. Two large wooden trunks house bronze hearts that seem to keep beating, establishing a dialogue between the living and seemingly inert, organic and metallic elements. The work, inspired by tree communication, prompts reflection on nature’s sensitivity and our responsibility towards it.
David Armando Martínez Aguilar showcases his mastery in the invited artists’ section with three paper cut-out pieces ranging from miniature to monumental scales. His FONART-awarded work, “Eterna Luna de mi Ciudad,” elevates the traditional technique to a contemplative, almost architectural scale. The hand-cut Coyolxauhqui gains a solemn presence transcending festive context to meditate on permanence and memory.
María Santamaría and Gisela Castro’s “Tlaotani en espera” is one of the most powerful pieces in the biennial. A pregnant warrior, molded live and dressed in a fabric woven on a treadle loom with hard fibers and natural dyes, embodies the creative and protective power of women. The process, developed almost exclusively remotely, demonstrates that empathy and conceptual clarity can overcome physical absence.
Celebrating Mexican Heritage
Saner and Israel Soteno’s “La marcha de la imaginación” achieves a joyful and respectful fusion. Traditional Metepec figures absorb the urban artist’s graphic universe without losing their essence, resulting in a celebration of Mexico’s animal kingdom.
Pablo Fierro and Patricio Santiago’s “Viaje al Mictlán” encapsulates the biennial’s overall intention. The perforated stainless steel boat creates an illusion of fluidity and transition, while Patricio Santiago’s carved obsidian dog adds ancestral weight. The piece speaks of passage, guidance, and thresholds with minimalist eloquence.
“La historia de Chimalhuacán,” a biombo in popotillo technique by Víctor Mora and Marta Teniente de Art Popotl, narrates six episodes of Chimalhuacán’s lacustre memory and the Texcoco lake. The colored wheat stalk conveys extraordinary historical and political expressiveness: the absent water remains present in every stroke.
Héctor de Anda and Lorena Sambrown’s “Crisálida Ancestral” is a textile and mixed-technique piece, notable for its organic materials and dyes. Based on de Anda’s original idea, the piece features palm fronds treated with gold leaf and a metal base, incorporating cords and dyed elements created by Sambrown using acrylics. Their collaborative final assembly resulted in a satisfying and profound work, with dyed threads serving as a crucial visual element.
Honoring Craftsmanship
Magali Lara and Olga Hinojosa’s “La experiencia es una joya” is a delicate mixed-technique canvas integrating silver and a mounted pearl over an embroidery frame. The piece subtly incorporates Hinojosa’s signature elements—silver, pearls, and stones—almost as a silent mark within the composition. The collaboration, born from a long-standing relationship marked by affection and admiration, becomes a tribute to Hinojosa’s life dedicated to her craft.
Francisco Huazo’s ceramic sculptures, abstract human figures crafted with raku technique, evoke human presence from abstraction.
Tirso Cuevas and El Bromax’s composition in blacksmithing, featuring recessed and relief-cut sheet metal, contrasts a prehispanic Zapotec deity or priest, possibly Cocijo, the rain god, with small raised droplets emphasizing symbolic weight. An abstract serpentine motif further enhances the piece’s significance.
A Living Testament to Mexican Craftsmanship
ARTE/SANO ÷ Artistas 8.0 demonstrates that the renewal of popular art is possible when tradition, technique, innovation, and contemporaneity coexist with genuine curiosity.
