Networks and Collectivities in Mexico, 1976-1985

The phenomenon known as los Grupos (‘the Groups’) emerged in the mid-1970s in response to a climate of governmental repression and the radical transformation of artistic languages. This exhibition offers an overview of how these collectives converged to produce an experimental art that operated through interventions into the public space and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Their artistic focus challenged the traditional notions of the lone artist and of the art market in general, connecting creative expression with political activism, teaching, and cultural action. The project looks at graphic art, staged events and happenings, public interventions, audiovisual work, contemporary publications, and archival material to provide an overview of a period fundamental to the history of art in Mexico, marked by its engagement with politics and society, humor and irreverence, critique of established institutions, and the construction of new regional and international networks, all testifying to the power of collective organization in moments of crisis and social reinvention.

The works of los grupos challenged the notions of the lone artist and the art market, associating artistic creation with political activism and cultural action. The exhibition gathers works of visual art, records of staged events and happenings, public interventions, audiovisual recordings, archival materials, and publications from a period fundamental to the history of art in Mexico, marked by its engagement with the social and political context, the critique of institutions, the use of humor, and the construction of regional and international networks.

The research for this project is a result of the endeavor undertaken by the MUAC ―through the Centro de Documentación Arkheia― to assemble more than a dozen collections of documents produced by the different groups, interconnected with other collections at the MUAC and elsewhere, which reflect the interrelated interests and practices of these collectives and highlight the importance of collaborative work in the development of contemporary art in Mexico.

— MUAC