UMAC

I woke up with a raging hangover and then I look outside and saw it was snowing. Snow in Mexico? How strange. And then I noticed is was very gray and dense, and then I saw the cloud. The horizon, usually filled with blue green mountains or light gray haze were full of billowing dark clouds. And they weren't just going up. That cloud was coming at me like a tidal wave. So I ran to the hall and shut the door and thought it could really keep me safe from the super hot, super fast pyroclastic cloud coming to ruin my Saturday.

And then, I woke up for the second time. This time I had a hangover too, not quite as bad, and the sky was sunny and clear, reminding me that is was Saturday and there was no way I was going to sleep in that greenhouse. Ok, so I got up, and while yesterday I planned to stay at home and do all these things I felt very crucial, as usual, I just couldn't stand to be in this house any longer than I need for minimal rest and hygene. Since I had missed the Espacio Escultura the last time I was at UNAM, I decided today would be the day to finally see it.

After a sticky, sickening metrobus ride, I found myself faced again with a locked gate in front of the Espacio. It seems as though this a place that only students and housewives could every hope to visit. But since I was already there, I decided to check out the Cultural University, just south of UNAM. What I found there was a different kind of sculptural space, a microcosm of the Espacio. That is, while the former is a large rationale sculptural piece in a wild ecological reserve, the later is a series of scultpures dispersed around a wild patch of growth. This would never happen in the US, as I saw several people climb to the top of those pink towers. I have come to realize that while we have a plethora of rights in the US, we haven't really much liberty.


Afterwards, I was very happy to see Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon's recently opened UMAC (Universidad Museo de Arte Contemporaneo). It's great that the city now has a venue like this, as the only other before this was the Museo de Rufino Tamayo (another Gonzalez de Leon), and that, besides being rather petitie, has only been around since 1980. The entrance facade is the most stunning part, but the parti is very clear and works well for a museum. It is large but managable (I saw everything in about 2 hours). The details are sorely lacking, as was a good part of the work on display, but overall, it's a worthy addition to the city.


For the architecturally inclined, study the above photo to see the plan.