After 22 years, ZONAMACO has firmly established itself as the primary art fair in Latin America, built on a foundation of connection—initially within the local community and increasingly across international networks. Well before Adriano Pedrosa’s “Stranieri Ovunque” Venice Biennale in 2024 reframed curatorial discourse around the Global South, ZONAMACO carried the practical burden of creating, sustaining and legitimizing a marketplace for Latin American art.
Today, “going to ZONAMACO” (or simply “ZONA”) has become shorthand for a week-long immersion in fairs, museums, gallery openings and parties, much in the same way “going to Art Basel Miami Beach” implies more than simply attending the fair. This linguistic shift underscores ZONAMACO’s evolution from a standalone regional fair into a destination event with genuine international gravity.
During our visit, several dealers reported that they and their clients chose Mexico City over Doha or other options on the February art fair calendar, drawn by what they describe as this fair’s more thoughtful and intimate atmosphere. In conversations with more than a dozen English-speaking ZONAMACO attendees, nearly half indicated they had made that same decision for similar reasons, while others cited the growing cultural momentum around Mexico City and viewed the fair as an ideal entry point.
Beyond the tequila-fueled openings and after-parties of Mexico City Art Week, the most recent edition of ZONAMACO offered collectors a broad and layered survey of Latin American art spanning blue-chip masters and mid-career voices brought by established and rising galleries. And yet, compared to other major fairs, ZONAMACO offered some of the most accessible price points. Emerging, mid-career, overlooked and historically underrecognized artists were presented alongside canonical figures, creating opportunities for both market discovery and critical reassessment. Works priced below $5,000 were even marked with visual indicators, signaling the fair’s openness to newer collectors.
Galleries were organized across the Arte Contemporáneo, Arte Moderno, Foto and Diseño sections, with Arte Contemporáneo the largest and most dynamic, as is typical. Design took on a dual structure this year, with the FORMA corridor on the main floor hosting Carpenters Workshop Gallery and several other exhibitors, while Diseño Emergente—which included jewelry, clothing, furniture and home goods—occupied a separate area adjacent to the LIBROS section dedicated to publications. Additional subsections offered more focused thematic frameworks. SUR highlighted galleries from the Global South presenting works that “challenge Eurocentric perceptions,” while EJES presented projects that “critically examine the concept of freedom, exploring its boundaries”—both featured more experimental and conceptually driven presentations.
Painting dominated, as is typical at major fairs, though sculpture and ceramics maintained a strong presence. This year’s fiber and textile-based offerings were particularly compelling, however, appearing in both sculptural and pictorial formats and reflecting a broader global resurgence in material-based practices. The FOTO section presented historic photography, collaged compositions, x-rays and digitally manipulated imagery, but digitally native or screen-based works remained scarce. Given the growing prominence of digital art at other fairs—most notably, Zero 10 at Art Basel Miami Beach—this absence stood out.
Ultimately, every fair’s success is measured in transactions, and ZONAMACO’s 2026 edition delivered. Most galleries reported strong sales from the VIP opening through the weekend. Pace Gallery reportedly placed a significant portion of its solo presentation of works by Kylie Manning, priced between five and six figures, while Mauricio Sampogna of Art of the World confirmed the placement of a work by Fernando Botero, though without disclosing further details. Wahei Aoyama, founder of A Lighthouse Called Kanata, confirmed to Observer the sale of four works by Chiko Takei, each priced at approximately $85,000. Mark Hachem Gallery also reported excellent results, with sales surpassing last year’s.
Success extended beyond the largest galleries. Alejandra Topete Gallery, founded in 2024, marked its second appearance with a tightly curated booth centered on textile-based works. The presentation achieved both critical and commercial success, placing multiple sculptures by Emilio García Plascencia in the $20,000-145,000 range and several new works by William Gaber priced between $30,000 and $65,000.
Hashimoto Contemporary also reported strong results, placing a work by Carlos Rodríguez in the $10,000-15,000 range and selling out its presentation of Angela Burson, whose works ranged from $5,000 to $8,000. “We were thrilled to present Angela Burson’s work in Mexico City for the first time,” a rep from the gallery told Observer. “Following her consecutive sold-out presentations in San Francisco, New York City and Untitled Art Fair Miami, this has been a wonderful continuation of her career, and the response we’ve received from local collectors and art lovers has been overwhelming!”
Sales activity was strong across most sections, with the expected exception of EJES, where the more experimental presentations attracted fewer immediate buyers. Still, Sorondo Projects from Barcelona reported positive engagement, with director Juliana Sorondo pointing to strong sales and adding that she believes many collectors are shifting their attention away from Miami.
That change reflects a broader structural reality. While ZONAMACO operates as an international fair, its strength lies in its deeply rooted local collector base, particularly in Mexico City. Several dealers noted the increasing sophistication of the city’s art collectors, including second- and third-generation collecting families who now work closely with curators and advisers to shape their acquisitions.
Institutional engagement has also expanded significantly. Museums, including several from the U.S., were at the fair, and Mexican institutions are increasingly using the fair as a platform for research and discovery. Alejandra Topete Gallery confirmed that Museo Cabañas in Guadalajara reserved Claribel Calderius’s embroidered jute work No escuches tu corazón for an upcoming exhibition. And then there were the museum group tours, including one from a Munich-based institution that made several acquisitions during the fair.
More than simply a marketplace, ZONAMACO now operates as a critical convening point shaping how Latin American art is encountered, evaluated and integrated into the broader international market. The fair’s 2026 edition reaffirmed its singular position within the regional and global ecosystems, underscoring Mexico City’s expanding role not only as a regional center but as an increasingly influential force in defining the direction and circulation of contemporary art globally.
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