On the Rise of ZONAMACO: An Interview With Fair Founder Zélika García
Since the 1990s, Mexico City’s art scene has undergone a dramatic transformation, with galleries multiplying at a remarkable pace, particularly in the years following the pandemic. What was once a tight-knit network of a few established spaces—such as Labor, kurimanzutto, Proyectos Monclova and Galeria OMR—anchored in the San Miguel Chapultepec district has now spread across the city. Vibrant new art hubs have emerged in Polanco, Condesa, San Rafael and Colonia Roma, with the scene expanding steadily southward. Adding to this renaissance are international players that have opened new outposts in the city over the past five years, including Travesía Cuatro, Galerie Nordenhake, Mariane Ibrahim and Koenig Galerie.
In anticipation of the 21st edition of Mexico City’s flagship February art fair, ZONAMACO (February 5–9, 2025), Observer caught up with its founder, Zélika García, to explore how the fair has amplified its influence in step with the flourishing Mexico City art scene. García also shared insights into this year’s evolving program and the much-anticipated art week that surrounds it.
Founded in 2004, ZONAMACO has been pivotal in the Mexican art scene’s meteoric rise to become a cornerstone of the broader Latin American art world. But this cultural milestone didn’t materialize out of thin air. A precursor to this success was Expoarte, a bold yet short-lived art fair launched in Guadalajara in the 1990s. Though Expoarte shuttered in 1998 due to administrative hurdles, Guadalajara remains an essential art hub, home to many internationally celebrated Mexican artists and the annual Pre-MACO weekend. Organized largely by local artists, galleries and institutions, Pre-MACO features highlights like the visionary programming of Cerámica Suro, a renowned ceramic residency founded by the farsighted José Noé Suro.
When Expoarte closed, Zélika García seized the moment. Determined to create a new platform for Mexico’s burgeoning art scene, she embarked on years of planning and discussion before debuting the first edition of Muestra in Monterrey in 2002. Featuring 25 galleries, this inaugural iteration marked the beginning of what would become a major cultural force. The following year, the fair relocated to Expo Reforma in Mexico City, adopting the name MACO (an acronym for Mexico Contemporary Art in Spanish) before becoming FEMACO. By 2014, the event had moved to Centro Banamex and evolved into ZONAMACO.
The fair continues to push boundaries and expand its global reach. Last year, while celebrating its 20th anniversary, ZONAMACO drew over 80,000 visitors. This year, under Direlia Lazo’s artistic direction, ZONAMACO 2025 will host 200 galleries from twenty-nine countries across four continents.
“The fair started many years ago, and slowly, it has become more international,” García told Observer. The presence of international galleries and their collectors in Mexico City has helped support her vision. Ditto for the influx of artists, both pre-Covid and at the height of the pandemic. “We’ve been doing the fair for so many years now, and there’s been a lot of word-of-mouth promotion. The ones already in the fair tell other people about it and come back.”
Mexico City Art Week has a distinctive energy that fosters genuine relationships that transcend business. Even as it has grown into a globally recognized event, it has maintained its deep connection to the local art scene. “We are very good hosts, and the people are very welcoming, inviting you into their houses, dinners, galleries and artists’ studios,” García said. “Of course, people also like the party, the tequila and the champagne. It’s all part of the scene: it’s a relaxed place, but more importantly, it’s a place where it’s easy to connect with people.”
Over the years, ZONAMACO has steadily elevated its quality, refining its offerings across its various sections, which feature visual art, design, antiques and photography. Pivotal to that was the appointment of a curator for each section—a marked departure from fairs where a gallery board typically handles such decisions. “We’re cautious,” García explained. “The main section is the only one with a gallery committee, but it’s made up of galleries (local and international) that have been with us since the first editions. The other sections are super-curated and entirely in the hand of the curator.”
This year, ZONA MACO SUR, curated by Manuela Moscoso, focuses on site-specific projects that explore artistic practices from the Global South, challenging Eurocentric narratives and diving deep into themes of identity, memory, and community. Meanwhile, the section devoted to Modern art, curated by Esteban King, highlights pioneering figures from Latin America, offering a historical perspective on the region’s artistic evolution. For ZONAMACO EJES, young curator Bernardo Mosqueira has brought together a selection of emerging artists for solo presentations, unified under a curatorial theme that interrogates the contemporary meanings and implications of freedom. On the design front, ZONAMACO DISEÑO, curated by acclaimed Mexican designer Cecilia León de la Barra, showcases jewelry and decorative objects, while the emerging designers of ZONAMACO DISEÑO EMERGENTE were selected in collaboration with Joel Escalona and Jorge Diego Etienne. The antiques section, ZONAMACO SALÓN DEL ANTICUARIO, is curated this year by Alfonso Miranda Márquez, and the photography section by Luis Graham Castillo.
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As the fair continues its post-pandemic resurgence, García emphasized the importance of balancing international participation with the fair’s ongoing commitment to supporting the Mexican and Latin American art scenes. “Having the majority of the projects focus on Latin America is important because people want to see that, and it’s part of our identity. Compared to other fairs, we don’t only have big names. We have space to discover galleries from different regions and levels, and I think it’s important to have this plurality of voices.”
That said, participating in an art fair in Mexico can demand significant investment from galleries, particularly when it comes to logistics, and international exhibitors may face challenges breaking into the local art scene. “When a new gallery comes, we try to introduce them to collectors and bring them to the people they need to meet,” García said, adding that there needs to be a relationship and trust because local collectors value a personal connection. “Once a gallery establishes that connection, some local collectors might even offer to host a dinner in their house the next year and invite their friends. It might take time, but the relationships a gallery establishes here can really pay off.”
As ZONAMACO has cemented its status as the leading art fair in Latin America, it has also become a magnet for international museum groups, a key factor in bolstering the visibility and appreciation of Mexican contemporary art on the global stage. “In the beginning, it was difficult to get museum and board groups because some of them didn’t want to travel to Mexico or preferred other art fairs,” said García. Last year, around fifty museum groups from all over the world attended the fair, and she expects just as many, if not more, to make the trek in 2025.
Meanwhile, Mexico City’s art scene continues to evolve, offering something new each year in terms of galleries, private museums and foundations. “I think they enjoy the city because it’s not just about ZONAMACO,” she added. “We have more art and more events going all around the city that make the trip worth it, and we collaborate closely with local partners, galleries and institutions on the VIP program and the public one.” Both extend throughout the year in what has proven to be a winning formula: an art fair that weaves itself into the fabric of the city’s vibrant cultural life.
For García, however, ZONAMACO’s mission goes beyond hosting successful events. A top priority of hers has always been to educate the local audience and nurture a new generation of collectors and art enthusiasts. “You need an engaged public and a local community to make the art fair work, especially in Mexico City.” Initiatives like artsy nights—part party, part informal art education—are a cornerstone of this effort, as are discussions, some formal and some less so. She’s seen the results unfold first-hand: students who years ago attended these and other auxiliary events are now buying art at the fair.
Some of the highlights already unveiled for this year’s Mexico City Art Week include a rare and exclusive project by Marina Abramović at Luis Barragán’s architectural masterpiece, La Cuadra San Cristóbal—a treat for visitors, as the space is typically closed to the public. Another much-anticipated event is a special tour of the sprawling, verdant Chapultepec Park led by renowned Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco, coinciding with the unveiling of his outdoor project and a major exhibition at Museo Jumex (one of the world’s most visually interesting museums). Also located in Bosque de Chapultepec, the celebrated Lago/Algo venue, known for its seamless blend of contemporary art and fine dining, will host LagoAlgo’s 7th Chapter, featuring a special project that has yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, major galleries are rolling out impressive programming: kurimanzutto will host a solo exhibition by Korean artist Haegue Yang, while Galeria OMR will spotlight Yann Gerstberger’s vibrant large-scale tapestries infused with patterns inspired by Mexican pop culture.
In addition to ZONAMACO, two other dynamic fairs will energize Mexico City during art week. Independent art fair Feria Material (February 6-9) will showcase a tightly curated selection of emerging international galleries, while Salón Acme offers a more laid-back, playful atmosphere dedicated to spotlighting up-and-coming creatives.
When it comes to the possibility of expanding ZONAMACO to other cities in South America, García emphasized her commitment to staying rooted in Mexico City and serving the Mexican art community. Rumors have long swirled that ZONAMACO was once eyed as a potential acquisition target by Art Basel. When Observer asked García whether she’d ever consider selling the fair to a larger corporation—following recent moves like Frieze’s acquisition of The Armory Show and EXPO Chicago—she was quick to underline her priorities. “I’m not closed to collaborating. Actually, I would be open to collaborating. But I love my project very much, so I would collaborate only with someone who understands it and would help me make it better. I wouldn’t do it if it’s just about the commercial transaction.”
Her passion for the fair and its role in elevating contemporary Mexican art is abundantly clear. “I’m always just looking for more opportunities and ways to make the fair more visible and better for the galleries. I care about my clients and our community continuing to grow and thrive.”