The present exhibition is part of the commemorative activities organized by the Espacio Nancarrow O’ Gorman Foundation in honor of the fortieth anniversary of Juan O’ Gorman’s passing (1905-1982). Its realization, by invitation of the General Coordination of Dissemination of the Metropolitan Autonomous University (Coordinación General de Difusión de la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), aims to generate a space for reflection on the work of Juan O’ Gorman, taking as a starting point the Juan O’ Gorman Special Collection, safeguarded by UAM Azcapotzalco, and recent lines of research created at the Espacio Nancarrow O’ Gorman Foundation.
With a particular interest on critical reflection, multidisciplinary and intergenerational work, “From Trace to Matter: The Architecture of Juan O’ Gorman” starts from the document, its traces, traces, and concepts, and expands towards analysis and questioning, reformulation and interpretation, and even – as in the case of our guest artists – the materialization of shared interests.
The events contained at this venue, the House of the First Printing Press in America (Casa de la Primera Imprenta de América), are proposed as a first approach in anticipation of further readings and actions. Exhibition reconstruction exercises are showcased through meticulous historical-documentary analysis. This includes the model that depicts the now vanished Cave-House (Casa-Cueva), recreated by architect Javier Senosiain (1948) and collaborators. It also encompasses the visualization of multidisciplinary aspects in pieces such as the interpretative model of the Conlon Nancarrow Study-House (Casa-Estudio Conlon Nancarrow) by Gabriel Macotela (1954) and collaborators. Not to mention the work of Guillermo Pacheco (1972), who, through remarkable material handling, unveils some of the voices contained within the Central Library—a building conceived by Juan O’ Gorman as a space of resistance against the onslaught of amnesia.
Fragments of a significant narrative power also constitute this exhibition: the reconstruction of the sonic environments of the Cave-House (Casa-Cueva), conducted by Valeria Parra (1998) and Pablo Nochebuena (1998); the delicate photographic documentation of the Pedregal de San Ángel by Juan San Juan Rebollar (1953); Maribel Portela’s Mineral Garden (1962); Adán Paredes’ approach to Anahuacalli (1961); the analysis of femininity in mexica iconography by Maribel Avilés (1964); and Juan O’Gorman’s vision regarding pre-Columbian expressions in the work of Mauricio Chacón (1975). They behave in the exhibition rooms as constellations and visualizations of other horizons of our objects of reflection.
The Espacio Nancarrow O’ Gorman Foundation expresses its gratitude to UAM, not only for the accurate preservation of the documentary memory of Juan O’ Gorman’s early architecture but also for the optimism, commitment, and solidarity with which it has conducted its work over the years, in actions such as dissemination, critical thinking, and the strengthening of the university community through knowledge.
Adriana Sandoval, M.A.
General Director of the Espacio Nancarrow O’ Gorman Foundation
