top of page

Habitar (Inhabit)

This exhibition features unpublished works by nine Latin American artists selected for the 18th edition of the 2020 Grants & Commissions Program. The showcased pieces explore themes of the body and performative practice, and delve into the intersection of art and technology.

Habitar (Inhabit)

The Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) Collection

Curated by Jesús Fuenmayor

March 9, 2023 - June 4, 2023

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey is pleased to host the exhibition of award-winning artists from the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO), titled "Habitar." This exhibition features unpublished works by nine Latin American artists selected for the 18th edition of the 2020 Grants & Commissions Program. The participating artists are Martha Araújo (Brazil), Tania Candiani (Mexico), Simone Michelin (Brazil), Adán Vallecillo (Honduras), Paloma Contreras Lomas (Mexico), Rolando López (Mexico), Lucas Lugarinho (Mexico), María Noujaim (Brazil), and Milton Raggi Vinueza (Cuba). Their works will be exhibited for the first time at MARCO, under the curatorship of Taiyana Pimentel, director of the museum, who also selected additional works beyond the award-winning ones. The showcased pieces explore themes of the body and performative practice, and delve into the intersection of art and technology.


Founded in 2004, CIFO's Grants and Commissions Program supports and recognizes contemporary Latin American artists. Traditionally exhibited at CIFO's Miami headquarters, since 2018 the program has traveled to other venues, including the Metropolitan Cultural Center of Quito (metQUITO) in Ecuador in 2018, and the Museo del Barrio in New York City in 2019.


The production of the artists in this exhibition is united by research, fieldwork, and the historical and social questioning of Latin American issues. They also explore the body, installation, and imagery from a contemporary perspective.


The Cisneros Fontanals Foundation for the Arts (CIFO) is a non-profit organization founded by Ella Fontanals-Cisneros in 2002. Its mission is to support and promote cultural understanding and educational exchange between Latin American artists and the international public.


Grants & Commissions: Achievement Award

The art of Martha Araújo (Brazil) emerged during the final years of Brazil's military dictatorship. These challenging circumstances shaped an artistic discourse focused on the limits of the body, the play between repression and freedom, and the relationship between the "self" and the "other." "The main issue for me has always been the 'other.' My works are only complete through the 'other.' Such is my problem and my redemption." ---- Martha Araújo Nominated by: Jesús Fuenmayor (Venezuela).


Grants & Commissions: Mid-Career Artists

Tania Candiani's (Mexico) artistic strategy is rooted in the reinterpretation of ritual and artisanal traditions. Her work negotiates between the past and present, creating a poetics of memory that relies on the persistence of knowledge. I find interest in translating the different elements of traditional dance, where a living and changing syncretism can be revealed, into the language of contemporary art, in order to stimulate a bridge between two artistic thoughts of a different nature." ---- Tania Candiani Nominated by: Carlos Garaicoa (Cuba).


Simone Michelin (Brazil) operates at the intersection of the physical and virtual worlds. Her ongoing technological experimentation, particularly with virtual reality (VR), allows her to recreate aspects of the instability and violence of everyday life in Brazil. "The goal is not to represent reality, but to present possible realities, to provide encounters, diversified approaches to the Real." ---- Simone Michelin Nominated by: Berta Sichel (Spain).


Adán Vallecillo's creative practice is based on the relationship between raw and manufactured materials. His work starts with field investigations, where the symbolic value of the material is key to understanding the historical and social context of his conceptual premise. "I take art as a tool of knowledge and an excuse for spurring reflection and critical debate." ---- Adán Vallecillo Nominated by: Michy Marxuach (Puerto Rico) and Cecilia Fajardo-Hill (U.S.A).


Grants & Commissions: Emerging Artists

Field investigation is essential for Paloma Contreras Lomas (Mexico), whose work focuses on creating fictions to question imposed narratives. This practice of "fiction as resistance" (her term) is based on expanding writing into other media and positioning the viewer as an active agent in the narrative. Nominated by: Yoshua Okón (Mexico).

Through the photo-essay, Rolando López (Mexico) reflects ironically on the contradictions between the lucrative activities of the Guggenheim family businesses and the harmful environmental impact of these industries in Mexico. Nominated by: Yoshua Okón (Mexico).


Using a multidisciplinary approach, Lucas Lugarinho (Mexico) proposes the image as a living, self-sufficient organism functioning within a postmodern digital ecosystem where humans and machines coexist. Nominated by: Guillermo Santamarina (Mexico).


Maria Noujaim (Brazil) explores the origins of language and its connections with drawing and calligraphy. In her work, she fuses form and language through the body, articulating sculpture and performance. Nominated by: Kaira Cabañas (U.S.A).


Milton Raggi Vinueza (Cuba) focuses on recycling and repurposing objects to narrate Cuban socio-cultural behavior. The process and context are fundamental to constructing meaning in his project. Nominated by: Cristina Vives (Cuba).

Photo Credits

  1. Maria Noujaim (Brazil, 1986): In the foreground, Elliptical Writing, 2020; iron plates, 1,105m x 1,015m x 2mm, CIFO Collection, performers: Lissette Arméndariz, Yessica Gotcha. In the background, + -, 2019-2023, mirror, tubular piece, vinyl, artist’s collection / En primer plano, Elliptical Writing, 2020; placas de hierro, 1,105 × 1,015 m × 2 mm, Colección CIFO; intérpretes: Lissette Arméndariz, Yessica Gotcha. Al fondo, + -, 2019–2023, espejo, pieza tubular y vinil, colección de la artista. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Gen Gibler.

  2. Adán Vallecillo (Honduras, 1977): In the foreground, resting on the floor: Brownies Monterrey, 2023; installation with ashlar stones, star paper, and chocolate, 48 stones, 20 x 30 cm each. This work has been donated by the artist to the MARCO Museum collection. On the back wall, Filogram Mural I, 2020, 750 clay bricks covered in chocolate, 182 x 392 cm / En primer plano, reposando sobre el suelo: Brownies Monterrey, 2023; instalación con piedras de sillar, papel estrella y chocolate; 48 piedras, 20 × 30 cm cada una. Esta obra ha sido donada por el artista a la colección del Museo MARCO. En la pared posterior, Filograma Mural I, 2020, 750 ladrillos de arcilla recubiertos de chocolate, 182 × 392 cm. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo. 

  3. Adán Vallecillo, Exhibition view featuring works in the foreground / Vista de la exposición con obras de Adán Vallecillo en primer plano. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo.

  4. Entrance view of the exhibition / Vista de la entrada de la exposición. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo.        

  5. Lucas Lugarinho (Brazil, 1992): Abiogenesis, 2020; components: 82” -inch Sony Bravia Smart TV, Asus Notebook, Base structure, HDMI cable, power cables (for notebook and TV) programming: Juan Vazquez Microbiology, consulting: Miguel Angel Rojas / Abiogenesis, 2020; componentes: televisor inteligente Sony Bravia de 82 pulgadas, computadora portátil Asus, estructura base, cable HDMI, cables de alimentación (para la computadora y el televisor); programación: Juan Vázquez; consultoría en microbiología: Miguel Ángel Rojas. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo.

  6. Paloma Contreras / Exhibition view featuring works Vista de la exposición con obras de Paloma Contreras. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Gen Gibler.

  7. Simone Michelin (Brazil, 1956): Caiçara #1, Safe-Room, 2020; neon signal, power transformer, oculus quest (headset, controllers, power cable), rechargeable batteries, external HD, pen / Caiçara #1, Safe-Room, 2020; señal de neón, transformador de potencia, Oculus Quest (auriculares, controladores, cable de alimentación), baterías recargables, disco duro externo y pluma.  Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Adán Vallecillo.

  8. Exhibition view / Vista de la exposición.

  9. Tania Candiani (Mexico, 1974): Parallel Ritual, 2020; 3 channel video installation, custom-made wooden masks, headdresses, embroidered badges, cotton overalls, wooden castanets, snake (fabric and ashes), dress and veil / Ritual paralelo, 2020; instalación de video de tres canales, máscaras de madera hechas a medida, tocados de cabeza, chapas bordadas, overoles de algodón, castañuelas de madera, serpiente (tela y cenizas), vestido y velo. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo. 

  10. Martha Araújo (Brazil, 1943) Exhibition view featuring works, Vista de la exposición con obras de Martha Araújo (Brasil, 1943).  Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo.

  11. Martha Araújo (Brazil, 1943); Exhibition view featuring works including Inventory of the Possessed, 2020, papier-mâché and Velcro, overalls in black wool fabric and wooden shelves / Vista de la exposición con obras de Martha Araújo (Brasil, 1943); incluyendo   Inventario de los poseídos, 2020, papier-mâché y Velcro, overoles en tela de lana negra y estantes de madera.  Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo.           

  12.  Paloma Contreras (Mexico, 1991); Exhibition view featuring works including The Gold Fever, 2023, digital video installation, 22:33 min; La Quina, 2021, textile and metal structure; and Man made God, 2021, textile and metal structure / Vista de la exposición con obras de Paloma Contreras (Mexico, 1991); incluyendo La fiebre del oro, 2023, instalación con video digital, 22:33 min; La Quina, 2021, textil y estructura de metal; y El hombre hecho Dios, 2021, textil y estructura de metal. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Sergio López & Paloma Contreras.

  13. Milton Raggi (Cuba, 1991): NYX, 2020, performance, composed of a mobile light and sound device and performative documentation (video, 30:12 min) / NYX, 2020, performance, instalación conformada por dispositivo móvil de luz y sonido y documentación performática (video, 30:12 min).   Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo.

  14. Rolando López (Mexico, 1978): On the left, Guggenheim in Mexico/ Photo Essay 01, result of the permanent program of epistemological detachment of the Guggenheim Museum Aguascalientes, 2020, 3 photographs 90 x 60 cm, 2 photographs 60 x 60 cm, CIFO Collection. On the right, Displacements program, 6 photographs 180 x 60 cm: Aguascalientes, Ags. 2021; Monterrey, NL. 2023; Chihuahua, CH. 2016; Nueva Rosita, Coah. 2019; Matehuala SLP. 2022; Angangueo, Mich.2018, Artist’s collection / A la izquierda, Guggenheim en Mexico/ Ensayo fotográfico 01, resultado del programa permanente de desprendimiento epistemológico del Museo Guggenheim Aguascalientes, 2020, 3 fotografías 90 x 60 cm, 2 fotografías 60 x 60 cm, colección CIFO. A la derecha, Programa desplazamientos, 6 fotografías 180 x 60 cm: Aguascalientes, Ags. 2021; Monterrey, NL. 2023; Chihuahua, CH. 2016; Nueva Rosita, Coah. 2019; Matehuala SLP. 2022; Angangueo, Mich.2018, colección del artista. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo.

  15. Simone Michelin / Exhibition view featuring Caiçara #1, Safe-Room by Vista de la exposición con Caiçara #1, Safe-Room de Simone Michelin. Photo credit / crédito fotográfico: Germán & Gerardo. 



For more information about CIFO exhibitions, and other programs, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

bottom of page