The Nomadic · Edition 4

2017: Mexico

DatesFebruary 1–28, 2017

WhereCiudad de México · Guadalajara · Oaxaca

Cohort8 curators

2017: Mexico — group photograph — 2017: Mexico — Ciudad de México · Guadalajara · Oaxaca.

The edition

What this one was about.

Framed around the theme "Production Processes, from the Urban to the Rural," this edition examined how regional art scenes were emerging across Mexico in dialogue with — but increasingly independent of — Mexico City, contrasting the capital's established institutions with the more experimental, artist-run spaces developing in Guadalajara and Oaxaca. The program investigated how "regional actors are emerging across Mexico, developing in dialogue with Mexico City while also firmly rooting themselves as autonomous sites of production."

Eight curators, from Spain, the Kyrgyz Republic, Australia, Italy, Turkey, Norway, and the USA, spent four weeks accessing "artists, institutions, and publics that feed Mexico's growing reputation as an international center of contemporary art," with support from the Danish Arts Foundation, Mexico's Secretaría de Cultura, Colección Diéresis, and Galería Tiro al Blanco.

The cohort

8 curators.

Alejandro Alonso Díaz

Curator & writer

Alejandro Alonso Díaz is a curator and writer working between Europe and Latin America. A participant in the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017, Alonso Díaz has developed an international curatorial practice centered on contemporary art, decolonial thought, and transnational cultural exchange. Through exhibitions, writing, and collaborative research, his work critically engages history, politics, and contemporary artistic production. His projects include exhibitions featuring artists such as Ken Okiishi and Telly Tu’u.

Bermet Borubaeva

Curator, researcher, artist & environmental activist, Bishkek

Bermet Borubaeva is a curator, researcher, artist, and environmental activist based in Bishkek. Since participating in the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017, Borubaeva has developed an interdisciplinary practice at the intersection of contemporary art, environmental justice, and civic activism. She is co-founder of the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art and founder of the #BishkekSmog initiative, using curatorial practice and artistic research to address pollution, urban inequality, and climate justice in Kyrgyzstan. Her work spans eco-art festivals, exhibitions, and public advocacy.

Ceren Erdem

Curator & writer, Istanbul

Ceren Erdem is a curator and writer based in Istanbul. Since participating in the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017, Erdem has built an international curatorial practice spanning major exhibitions, biennials, and institutional collaborations across Europe and the Middle East. Her work explores memory, politics, and critical historiography through exhibition-making and research. Most recently, she curated the 2025 Türkiye Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, further establishing her as a leading voice in contemporary curatorial practice.

Julia Morandeira

Curator, writer & educator, Madrid

Julia Morandeira is a curator, writer, and educator based in Madrid. A participant in the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017, Morandeira has become a leading voice in curatorial practice, pedagogy, and critical theory. She serves as Director of Studies at the Museo Reina Sofía and leads the Instituto Cáder de Arte Centroamericano. Previously, she directed KADIST and held curatorial and teaching roles at BAK and Leiden University. Her work bridges decolonial thought, cultural studies, and transformative pedagogies across contemporary art and institutional practice.

Marte Danielsen Jølbo

Curator, writer & editor, Norway

Marte Danielsen Jølbo is a curator, writer, and editor based in Norway. Since participating in the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017, Jølbo has developed a distinguished career across independent, institutional, and public art contexts. She has served as curator at Public Art Norway (KORO), Director of Hå gamle prestegard, and currently leads the Edvard Munch Foundation’s Atelier at Ekely. A co-founder of Another Space and Contemporary Art Stavanger, her work spans exhibitions, publishing, and public programming with a focus on art, architecture, and interdisciplinary dialogue.

Nicole Bray

Curator & arts administrator, New York

Nicole Bray is a curator and arts administrator based in New York. After joining the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017, Bray expanded her work across gallery leadership, exhibition management, and contemporary art programming. She currently serves as Director at Mercer Contemporary, where she supports artist-centered programming and institutional development. Her practice focuses on strategic leadership, public engagement, and advancing contemporary artistic dialogue.

Pietro Della Giustina

Curator, Italy

Pietro Della Giustina (b. 1989, Italy) is a curator who lives between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand. Della Giustina participated in the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017. He is artistic director of In extenso art center and editor-in-chief of La belle revue. In 2015 he co-founded the curatorial collective Curate It Yourself, and he is a member of the collective Non-breaking space, which runs La Tôlerie, an art center in Clermont-Ferrand. He worked as assistant curator at the Gulbenkian Foundation (Paris) and the National Center for Visual Arts – CNAP (Paris), and has collaborated with institutions including Crédac (Ivry), SCAI The Bathhouse Gallery (Tokyo), the 18th Mediterranea Biennale, Andersen's Contemporary Gallery (Copenhagen), and the collection of Société Générale. He was later selected by the CreArt network to curate its 2020 European Exhibition, What if? The choice to build an alternative future, shown in Aveiro, Skopje, and Genoa. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University, an MBA in Cultural Heritage Management from the School of Art and Culture – EAC Group in Paris, and an MA in Science et techniques de l'exposition from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and lectures at the Paris-Cergy National School of Art.

Rachael Rakes

Curator, writer, editor & film programmer, Amsterdam/New York

Rachael Rakes is a curator, writer, editor, and film programmer based between Amsterdam and New York. Since participating in the Curatorial Program for Research in 2017, Rakes has emerged as a major voice across contemporary art, moving image, and critical discourse. She served as Artistic Director of the 12th Seoul Mediacity Biennale and previously held curatorial leadership roles at BAK and de Appel. An editor-at-large for Verso Books and contributor to major publications, her work connects curating, publishing, film, and critical theory within international contemporary art discourse.

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