“There are heated politics here, in terms of the government and ‘Narcos’ wars, and I’m interested in how that’s reflected in the art,” says Ellen Belshaw, who is researching in Mexico’s capital. “There are also things happening here that aren’t getting any media coverage.” | Photo credit: Arthur Rossignol
Every Wednesday for the last five years, SOMA has been the site of performances, lectures and screenings open for anyone to attend in Mexico’s capital city.
Now, the centre is making footage of those events accessible to a greater public online in both Spanish and English.
As part of the three-and-a-half-month internship funded by Young Canada Works, Belshaw is transcribing footage of all SOMA events that took place in English to later be subtitled in Spanish. “It’s a nice platform to see what kinds of artists this space has in its roster,” says Belshaw.
“From my previous experience with Mexican artists, they’re very good at balancing sleek, conceptual-looking contemporary art with potent political backings,” says Belshaw.
Over the summer, SOMA hosts a residency for artists from around the world. Their programming includes many gallery visits and meetings with local artists and curators that Belshaw is tagging along for.
“I’ve been noticing a lot of similarities between Mexico City and Montreal,” says Belshaw. “Both were colonized and are still dealing with the repercussions of that and neither city’s major languages are indigenous.”
All about perspective
While pursuing an undergraduate degree in the Department of Art History and the photography program, Belshaw first encountered the rich culture of Mexico City in a class on contemporary Latin American art.
Allegra Cordero di Montezemolo, curator of Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City, explains a project that overlays one exhibition onto another, at one of many visits with local artists and curators attended by SOMA residents and curatorial intern Ellen Belshaw. | Photo credit: Ellen Belshaw