josé garcía ,mx Gallery in Santa Maria La Ribera

The josé garcía ,mx gallery seems to have taken the old standby that Santa Maria la Ribera is “about to get big” seriously. Now with more art galleries than anyone knows what to do with, this one is among the brightest. The gallery maintains a similar, though roofless, presence in tropical Mérida, the Yucatan capital. The two spaces offer a surprising quantity of visual fare.

Founded in 2015, by José García Torres, he came from a longtime position as director of Proyectos Monclova, which he’d cofounded in 2005. Today he’s still promoting leading Mexican and international contemporary artists from one of Santa Maria’s dramatically understated residential hideaways.

The current exhibition space holds two galleries of 5 x 5 meters and another of 5 by 8 meters. While not necessarily enormous the impact has been, as gallery staff maintain plenty of room for storage, a show room, and a patio and still have space for occasional talks and presentations.

In just five years, the gallery seems to have developed into one of the leading voices supporting and promoting young Mexican artists, especially internationally. The José García seems to have also been successful at encouraging a growing and interesting exchange between figures on the local and international art scene, including at some of the world’s leading art fairs.