All This Time, All This Painting: 11 Years of Galería Karen Huber

As a part of GAMA WEEK, Galería Karen Huber presents All This Time, All This Painting: 11 Years of Galería Karen Huber.

Galería Karen Huber opened its doors eleven years ago as a space dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of painting. Its first location was on the ground floor of the interior of the Vizcaya building, and its inaugural exhibition was a solo show by Ad Minoliti. At the time, in 2014, presenting a gallery entirely devoted to painting was a bold undertaking, as art institutions and the market in Mexico were largely focused on other media considered more “contemporary.” Within this context, the practice of painting and reflection on the pictorial were often perceived as somewhat anachronistic. Against this backdrop, the gallery committed to promoting research into painting and its possibilities—a commitment it has maintained to this day.

After its first decade and a year dedicated to promoting and disseminating contemporary painting—produced primarily by local artists while maintaining engagement and dialogue with international collaborators—Galería Karen Huber presents the exhibition All This Time, All This Painting, a show that, in a way, recapitulates the history of this space. The exhibition features artists who have been present since the gallery’s inauguration and the beginning of its program, such as Ad Minoliti, Manuela Solano, and Rafael Uriegas, as well as artists who have accompanied it throughout much of its history, including Allan Villavicencio, Luis Hampshire, Lucía Vidales, and Othiana Roffiel. It also presents artists who have collaborated with the program at some point, such as Jerónimo Ruedi, Alejandra Laviada, or Nicole Chaput, and even artists participating for the first time, such as Carolina Fusilier. These mentions are not intended to be exhaustive. In total, 34 artists are included—presences considered essential in a show that seeks to establish relationships and dialogues between different approaches, while offering a broad overview of contemporary painting. The survey is not limited to local practices; it also includes artists who do not reside in Mexico but have collaborated with the gallery throughout much of its first eleven years, such as Merike Estna, Kanako Namura, and Keke Viladelba, as well as first-time collaborations, like those of Malù dalla Piccola or Eva Ayache Vanderhost.

All This Time, All This Painting continues the gallery’s interest in disseminating multiple approaches to understanding painting and exploring its possibilities—sometimes beyond the more traditional ways of conceiving the medium. There are works, such as those by Luis Hampshire, Alejandra Laviada, and Alejandro García Contreras, that explore painting’s relationship with other formats, disciplines, or media, including the three-dimensional, sculptural, and ceramic. Other works investigate formal aspects, such as the relationship between painting and its support and presentation, the use of unconventional materials, and the development of unique techniques, as seen in artists like Christian Camacho, Andrew Birk, and César Rangel. Similarly, the gallery has continued programming that addresses multiple thematic perspectives and inquiries. From its beginnings, and even before certain institutional and market trends gained prominence, the gallery has highlighted feminist- and queer-inspired proposals. During the months in which this exhibition is on view, a public program has been prepared to contribute to the discussion and reflection on these themes and on painting itself.

For the presentation of All This Time, All This Painting, Galería Karen Huber expands into a space on the ground floor at 120 Bucarelli, under the initiative called ISLA—a venue for the temporary presentation of spaces, initiatives, or events.

–Daniel Garza Usabiaga

Image: Eva Ayache – Vanderhorst.