Mexico City's Zona Maco fair continues to draw upbeat crowds and eager buyers

"Mexico City's hulking Centro Banamex convention centre is once again hosting the Zona Maco fair (until 8 February), and though the geopolitical turbulence in the Western Hemisphere is felt-in conversations in the aisles, and on some stands' walls-the atmosphere during Wednesday's preview and Thursday's opening day was buoyant. The addition of the concurrent Art Basel Qatar fair to the increasingly congested art market calendar has done little to detract from the turnout of collectors, curators and museum groups from the Americas, as well as from Europe."

"The Proyectos Monclova stand includes, among other works, a series of dystopian, science-fiction tinged paintings by the Havana-based artist Brenda Cabrera, intricate gouache and pencil compositions on wood by the Mexico City-born artist Circe Irasema and a wall of ceramic sculptures by the Guadalajara-based artist Víctor Hugo Pérez. "Victor has been working with traditional ceramic processes from Guadalajara that are disappearing," Cohen says. The sculptures, contemporary reinterpretations of pre-Hispanic vases and figures of dogs and cats, are priced between $3,000 and $6,000."

""We had a prominent New York curator on the stand for an hour and a half [on Wednesday]-if we were at any other fair, that would never happen.""

Zona Maco returned to Mexico City's Centro Banamex through 8 February, drawing strong attendance from collectors, curators and museum groups across the Americas and Europe despite geopolitical turbulence and a crowded market calendar. The concurrent Art Basel Qatar fair did not noticeably reduce turnout. Exhibitors experienced sustained, in-depth conversations with visitors, including a New York curator spending ninety minutes at one stand. Proyectos Monclova presented dystopian paintings by Brenda Cabrera, gouache and pencil works by Circe Irasema, and ceramics by Víctor Hugo Pérez priced between $3,000 and $6,000. Ceramics and material-focused practices featured prominently, and several galleries made VIP-preview sales.

Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events