Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/193668
"For centuries, Mexico City has had a rich cultural life...it's great to be an essential part of the city's cultural landscape." tance for me and we have it generously at Jumex—and we can eliminate it if an exhibition requires it for, say, a video. There are always negotiations between architects and collectors/ curators when it comes to designing galleries and neutral spaces for art. Would you like to share any interesting experiences you had? I think it's key that the exterior of a museum be architecturally noteworthy and that the interior be designed in such a way as to permit a high standard of displaying art. Given the current trend of the last two decades to build museums for their architectural significance per se has often meant that spaces for the exhibition of art are compromised. To be sure, an architect always has his signature on a building. David Chipperfield and I engaged in a fruitful dialogue yet strong negotiations ensued around having the most open spaces possible. This was critical for me, as I want each curator to present his/her concept and exhibition with the least restrictions. At the Jumex Gallery, our first space, each exhibition has a very different museography, which depends on the theme and needs of the art. After an intense dialogue with David, we now have very open, versatile spaces in our two galleries in which to display contemporary art, from paintings and sculptures to works on paper and photography to videos and installations. What do you envision as Museo Jumex's role amongst museums in Mexico's cultural ecosystem? A museum must be engaged with its urban context. Museums of all types have distinct publics, roles and missions. What may work in New York City may not work in São Paulo or in Mexico City as each nation also has different needs. The Museo Jumex is an institution that is part of the Fundación/Colección Jumex, so as such it is already different from other art museums here, since, linked to the museum's programs are scholarships, publications, artist residences and support of exhibitions and educational programs in Mexico and abroad. The Fundación has contributed to changing how contemporary art is perceived in Mexico, and we've managed to also alter the perception of Mexican art and culture on an international level. A significant part of our exhibition program will be based on our collection as it has been in our gallery at the Jumex juice factory in Ecatepec. In addition, we'll organize monographic shows of important artists such as Cy Twombly—the first in Latin America after his death. We're also partnering with institutions for one-person shows (e.g. James Lee Byars with MoMA PS1), and we are taking the Abraham Cruzvillegas exhibition organized by the Walker Art Center, and sharing and expanding it as another version with the Museo Amparo in Puebla. If you had one wish in relation to the museum for its first year, what would it be? Well, the first wish has been fulfilled—the first challenge has been met: the Museo Jumex opens in mid-November. Now on to another wish and challenge: to organize and bring to Mexico exhibitions of the highest standard—and for people to visit us. 90 CULTURED