A Hard Sell: on Mexican art in the age of austerity

"Since coming to power in 2018, Mexico's "Fourth Transformation" political force has often found itself at odds with the country's left-leaning arts and culture sectors. The movement—which mixes populism with selective neoliberal austerity—quickly cast contemporary art as an expression aligned with the ideology of the old regime. Individual artists have been publicly denounced by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador as hoarders of state resources."

"Within Mexico's national arts infrastructure, austerity is routinely framed as a form of redistributive justice while the arts are mischaracterized as a boondoggle for elites. Public art institutions in Mexico have found themselves in dire straits; last year, the nation's budget for art and culture sank to its lowest level since 2013."

"As mural paintings turned buildings into vehicles of historical narrative and ideological projection, Bellas Artes came to embody the promise of a public culture insulated from capitalism and individualism. Two recent Bellas Artes exhibitions are emblematic of a reconfigured network of influence in Mexico's arts scene, exemplifying the role that private initiatives play in remedying an ailing public arts sector."

Since 2018, Mexico's Fourth Transformation political movement has created significant tension with the country's arts and culture sectors. The government combines populism with austerity measures, characterizing contemporary art as aligned with the previous regime's ideology and individual artists as resource hoarders. Public art institutions face severe budget constraints, with national arts funding reaching its lowest level since 2013. Austerity is reframed as redistributive justice while arts are dismissed as elite boondoggles. The Palacio de Bellas Artes, historically a symbol of public culture and artistic legitimacy since 1934, exemplifies these challenges. Recent exhibitions at this institution demonstrate how private initiatives increasingly fill the gap left by diminished public funding.

Read at Artforum