Lagos | PAINTING TODAY-CDMX:

fertile anachronism

GONZALO GARCIA

Image Gonzalo Garcia

Situated Residency | Mexico City | August 2026

This four-week residency is a laboratory for pictorial excavation within the megalopolis; a deep immersion that displaces painting from the stretcher bar to the surrounding territory. Inspired by the structure of the stratum, CDMX becomes a "technique of representation" here.

In a world saturated with ephemeral images, this residency proposes painting as a device of slowness and depth, allowing one to excavate the symbolic geology of Mexico City.

The residency program is based on a creative methodology that involves group work, curatorial guidance, and visits to museums, galleries, and artists’ studios.

Image Luis Carrera-Maul

The Pillars of Displacement

  • The residency recognizes the weight of the walls that surround it. History is approached not as a chronology, but as raw material: understanding the painting as an accumulation of times (the time of the pigment, the time of Mexican art history, and the present time of the metropolis).

  • Painting does not happen solely on the canvas, but within the tension between the eye, the hand, and the city. It is a place where thought becomes matter.

    • The Persistence of the Image: Exploring why painting remains the medium par excellence to question reality, even (and especially) in the era of artificial intelligence.

    • Painting as action, installation, and residue: The physical limit of the artwork will be sought, understanding painting as an expanded field.

    • Painting on other materials: Understanding that other substrates exist outside the convention of acrylic, oil, or encaustic on canvas, such as ceramics, textiles, and objects, among others.

Participation, Open Call, and Selection 2026

  • Portfolio presentation.

  • Personalized curatorial accompaniment.

  • Special visits to museums, galleries, and independent spaces.

  • Dialogues with guest artists and curators.

  • Access to a shared studio.

  • Features on the lagos website and social media tracks.

  • Open Studio at the end of the residency.

Working Methodology: Study Cells and Curatorial Dialogues

  • The 15 artists will be grouped into three critical accompaniment processes, led by key figures who bridge theory with situated praxis:

    The methodology is creative, based on receptive and critical dialogues with an approach of respect and radical tenderness. Each tutor will be in charge of 5 participants, providing guidance throughout the residency.

    The residency combines reflection, dialogue, creation, situated knowledge, and exchange through:

    • A. Historical mappings (The Thickness of Time): Visits to key museums in CDMX, such as the Museo Nacional de Arte, the Museo de Arte Moderno, and the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

    • B. Conceptual trends: Gallery visits and dialogues with artists and curators including the Karen Huber Gallery, Gonzalo García's studio, and a meeting with Guillermo Santamarina.

    Note: Participating artists will have a shared studio at lagos | CDMX.

What does the Residency include?

  • Participants: 15 artists selected through an international open call.

  • Open Call Period: From June 8 to July 2, 2026.

  • Announcement of Results: July 4, 2026.

  • Residency Period: The entire month of August 2026.

  • The residency will take place with a minimum of 9 people.

Costs

  • Global South: $15,000 MXN

  • Global North: $20,000 MXN

  • A payment of $5,000 MXN must be made by July 6.

  • The total amount for the residency must be covered by August 3.

  • Each participant is responsible for their own airfare and accommodation.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED