Installation view of La casa que nos inventamos: Contemporary Art From Guadalajara

Installation view of La casa que nos inventamos: Contemporary Art From Guadalajara.

La casa que nos inventamos: Contemporary Art From Guadalajara provided an opportunity to consider how, since the 2000s, one city in Mexico built upon its rich cultural history as the capital of the state of Jalisco to become a leading hub of contemporary architecture, design, cuisine, literature, and visual art.

In recent decades, the social and economic impact of culturally dynamic communities has been widely recognized. The exhibition La casa que nos inventamos, which translates to “The house that we invented,” reflected on and responded to place—to the rich and complicated history, present, and future of a creative community. It featured nearly 50 conceptual artworks—paintings, sculptures, installations, performances—created within the last decade by nearly 20 visual artists from or living in Guadalajara. Featured in the survey were works by figures who rose to international prominence in the 2000s—Jose Dávila, Eduardo Sarabia, Francisco Ugarte—as well as by a generation of artists—Isa Carrillo, peach, Renata Petersen—who gained greater attention in recent years.

La casa que nos inventamos: Contemporary Art From Guadalajara was guest curated by Viviana Kuri, director and chief curator of the Museo de Arte de Zapopan (MAZ) in Guadalajara, and included artworks not only in the gallery, but also outdoor sculptures, performances, public programs, a catalogue, and a Guadalajara artist in residence in Oklahoma City. Through focused on one dynamic art scene across platforms, the project provided a moment to consider the many factors—strong art museums and schools, generous supporters and galleries, plentiful studios and collective spaces—that together make a city’s creative community distinctive, resilient, and enduring.

The exhibition included artworks by artists Octavio Abúndez, Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Zazil Barba, Julieta Beltrán, Isa Carrillo, Claudia Cisneros, Hiram Constantino, Jose Dávila, Florencia Guillén, Cynthia Gutiérrez, Carmen Huizar, Gonzalo Lebrija, Jorge Méndez Blake, peach, Renata Petersen, Daniela Ramírez, Gabriel Rico, Eduardo Sarabia, and Francisco Ugarte.

La casa que nos inventamos: Contemporary Art From Guadalajara was a collaboration between Oklahoma Contemporary and guest curator Viviana Kuri, director and chief curator of the Museo de Arte de Zapopan (MAZ) in Guadalajara, Mexico.