Curated by Clara Bolívar and Elva Peniche

Though she is perhaps best known for her quasi- architectural public sculpture, Helen Escobedo has also had a career as a leader of art institutions in Mexico City, with important tenures at galleries of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, including the Museo Universitario de Ciencias y Arte and the long-gone Galería Universitaria Aristos. In these roles, she developed a reputation for supporting experimental local practices in close dialogue with international developments, at a time when independent artistic initiatives received little support. This exhibition, curated by Bolívar and Peniche from the UNAM archival collections, and its accompanying publication will address this overlooked aspect of Escobedo’s career, contributing a rich and revealing chapter to a global history of institutions that is still being written.

— Magalí Arriola