Masa Gallery launches inaugural Mexico City space with new solo shows

Brian Thoreen and Mario García Torres’ solo shows (until 8 April 2023) inaugurate Masa Gallery’s permanent new home in the heart of Mexico City

Brian Thoreen work
Brian Thoreen, studio installation view of works for the upcoming ‘Non-Zero-Sum,’ 2023 exhibition
(Image credit: Alejandro Ramirez Orozco)

Masa Gallery is marking its fifth anniversary with the launch of two solo exhibitions, taking place at the art and design collective’s first permanent space in Mexico City (on view 8 February – 8 April 2023). The vast colonial house, previously owned by art patron Federico Sánchez Fogarty, makes a historic base for Masa to continue to champion motifs of conceptuality in Mexican design, having first launched as a nomadic gallery in 2019.  

Artist and designer Brian Thoreen and multidisciplinary conceptual artist Mario García Torres muse on these themes in shows which challenge the traditional functions of materiality. Thoreen nods to his reputation for challenging the status quo in 'Non-Zero-Sum', a collection of ten functional and six non-functional works. 

Brian Thoreen work

Brian Thoreen, studio installation view of work for the upcoming ‘Non-Zero-Sum,’ 2023 exhibition

(Image credit: Alejandro Ramirez Orozco)

Thoreen delights in a juxtaposition of materials in pieces which may not be as they first appear. A chair, fully crafted from folded and stacked neoprene, weighs in at nearly two tons yet makes a temptingly tactile place to perch. Large candles made from raw cast beeswax become sensual sculptures, while a table in free-form rubber with cast bronze boxes and hammered copper celebrates both texture and functionality. The dichotomy continues in artworks which link the digital and analogue worlds, with charcoal sticks on paper becoming a landscape in binary code, forming a triptych of coded information the viewer can’t access.

Brian Thoreen work

Brian Thoreen, studio installation view of work for the upcoming ‘Non-Zero-Sum,’ 2023 exhibition

(Image credit: Alejandro Ramirez Orozco)

For García Torres, function is also rethought in 'The Space Under My Chair & The Music I Was Listening To'. García Torres is directly inspired by Bruce Nauman’s concrete creation  'A Cast of the Space Under My Chair' for an aluminium stool which reflects on how the body interacts with negative space, imbuing the classic sculpture with a new functionality. It is a consideration carried through to ‘The Work I Painted This Monochrome While Repeatedly Listening to Gasolina by Daddy Yankee',  electrically plugged monochrome paintings which are both aesthetic items and pieces of silent sound equipment thanks to an LED light.

Brian Thoreen work

Brian Thoreen, studio installation view of work for the upcoming ‘Non-Zero-Sum,’ 2023 exhibition

(Image credit: Alejandro Ramirez Orozco)

The exhibitions build on Masa founders Age Salajõe, Brian Thoreen and Héctor Esrawe’s preoccupation with collaborative design, which becomes a celebration of local contemporary artists. They add: ‘Counterbalancing the preconceptions surrounding the dialogue between art, design, space, function, or lack thereof is the essence of what we do.’ 

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The exhibition takes place from 8 February to 8 April 2023 at Masa Gallery 

Address: Joaquín A. Pérez 6, San Miguel Chapultepec I Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, 11850 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

Brian Thoreen work

Brian Thoreen, studio installation view of works for the upcoming ‘Non-Zero-Sum,’ 2023 exhibition

(Image credit: Alejandro Ramirez Orozco)

Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.