ZⓈONAMACO WELCOMES ITS NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JUAN CANELA
ZⓈONAMACO, the Mexican art fair, welcomes Juan Canela (Spain, 1980) as its new Artistic Director, taking the position that was held by Tania Ragasol (Mexico, 1972) in previous editions.
Juan Canela joined the ZⓈONAMACO team after the 2020 edition took place, which presented for the first time the four fairs of the platform: ZⓈONAMACO México Arte Contemporáneo, ZⓈONAMACO Diseño, ZⓈONAMACO Foto and ZⓈONAMACO Salón. Canela's work will focus mainly on strengthening relations with exhibitors, collectors, curators, critics and the general public, along with Marisol Barbosa, Managing Director, and Zélika García, Founder of ZⓈONAMACO.
Canela is an independent curator and writer. Co-founder of BAR project in 2012 in Barcelona, and Research and Symposium Associate of the osloBIENNIALEN FIRST EDITION 2019-2024. He collaborated in ZⓈONAMACO’s 2020 edition as curator of ZⓈONAMACO SUR, and was Associate Curator of Matadero Residency Art Center in Madrid (2020). He was a member of the Program Committee at HANGAR Barcelona (2016-19), part of the Present Future Curatorial Committee at Artissima Turin (2018-19), and curator of the Opening section at ARCO Madrid (2016-17).
He has been curator of the Composiciones program for Gallery Weekend Barcelona (2019); and has curated different projects held in institutions and galleries such as Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Fundación Cerezales, León; CA2M Madrid; Travesía Cuatro, Madrid; Tiro al Blanco, Guadalajara; MUHKA Amberes; Tabakalera San Sebastian; CRAC Alsace; SOMA Mexico; Fundació Miró, Barcelona; and La Ene, Buenos Aires, among others.
Canela has also given lectures and workshops at Flora Bogotá, Curando Caribe República Dominicana, Instituto Di Tella Buenos Aires, Bisagra Lima, De Appel Art Center Amsterdam, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center Ramallah, and La Casa Encendida Madrid. He has contributed in magazines including A*Desk, Art-Agenda, Babelia El País, Terremoto Magazine and Mousse.
"I enthusiastically assume the position of Artistic Director of ZⓈONAMACO to continue working on strengthening the most important fair in Latin America. I will contribute with my curatorial perspective so that ZⓈONAMACO continues to consolidate itself as a meeting point for collectors, artists and art and culture professionals, and also rethinking and imagining new ways of confluence in times to come", Juan Canela comments on this new challenge.
About her experience as Artistic Director, Tania Ragasol pointed out the following: "ZⓈONAMACO has been, since its firsts editions in Mexico City, an obligatory reference for my professional career. I’m grateful to Zélika García for the opportunity to collaborate with her and the incredible team in an endeavor that has been essential for my development as a cultural manager and curator. I hope to continue being an accomplice of the fair and its team in other projects to come".
Finally, Zélika García, Founder of ZⓈONAMACO, comments: "I am very pleased to have Juan Canela for the 2021 edition of ZⓈONAMACO, which definitely represents a challenge for the team due the current circumstances we are living through. Juan has an outstanding career; I am sure he will make valuable contributions and strengthen our relationship with the different audiences and exhibitors at the fair. Also, I would like to thank Tania Ragasol for her dedication and professionalism during her time as Artistic Director of the fair. Certainly, her work along with the team was essential to continue achieving successful editions.”
With the integration of Juan Canela, ZⓈONAMACO team is working on its 2021 edition.
