In memoriam

Argentine-born José made the whole of Mexico his home, but he established in Oaxaca one of the strong distribution points of the magazine he had founded, and which he published independently from its international edition. He was concerned with building “social and informative networks”, and without taking the stance of a critic, he defended the practice of an independent cultural journalism.
Without hypocrisy, José admitted: “The theoretical and intellectual scene has merged with the art market, and both have given rise to a global scene.” The challenge he took up through his magazine was to contribute to the penetration of that global scenario, following up on the potential incidence of Mexican and Latin American art.
In one of the many editorial notes he wrote for Arte al Día México, he stated: “The recognition of a consumer market sets us free from that market and allows us to consider it merely a point of departure in the appreciative or theoretical evaluation of cultural actors.” In this way he positioned his magazine as a cultural product susceptible of continuous improvement, which accommodated a range of opinions and actors, from iconic artists, through national and international biennials, to events such as art fairs. Simultaneously he supported, out of conviction, artists who were in the margins of the establishment. Around a hundred people, most of them linked to the world of culture, bade him farewell at the burial ceremony in the Federal District, in an expression of affection and recognition of the task he carried out throughout the decade during which he was based in Mexico, and which coincided with the great internationalization of the Mexican art scene. Several artists highlighted his commitment to their own formative processes.
For José Costa Peuser − whose sensibility and way of cleverly moving along the margins of chaos drew him particularly close to the world of art − the construction of a scenario of credibility was also linked to the opening of new markets. This fusion between a philosophy of the gaze and the reality of consumerism was part of his lifelong search, interrupted by a departure that leaves a feeling of loss in those who knew and accompanied him along his path. The continuation of the publication he created and whose quality and prestige he dreamed of improving will be the best way to keep his memory alive.