TODOS JUNTOS (all together)

abraham cruzvillegas / adrián villar rojas / akram zaatari / alexandra bachzetsis / allora & calzadilla / anri sala / apichatpong weerasethakul / bárbara sánchez-kane / carlos amorales / damián ortega / danh vo / daniel guzmán / david medalla / dr. lakra / eduardo abaroa / fernando ortega / gabriel kuri / gabriel orozco / gabriel sierra / haegue yang / iñaki bonillas / jimmie durham / leonor antunes / marieta chirulescu / mariana castillo deball / miguel calderón / minerva cuevas / monika sosnowska / nairy baghramian / oscar murillo / patti smith / petrit halilaj / rirkrit tiravanija / roberto gil de montes / roman ondak / sarah lucas / sofía táboas / tarek atoui / wilfredo prieto.

Like so many important decisions in the gallery’s history, the exhibition, and the space itself, emerged from a series of conversations with its artists. kurimanzutto’s origins lie in such exchanges; it was Gabriel Orozco who first conceived of the gallery with Mónica Manzutto and José Kuri in the late 1990s. It was input from the artists that led to the decision to open in Chelsea and many details of the new location’s layout and exhibition spaces are the direct result of input from Orozco and Rikrit Tiravinija. Design elements by the artists can be found throughout the space: tiles by Dr. Lakra, lamps by Janette Laverrière, which Nairy Baghramian has installed in dialogue with her work in past exhibitions, textiles found in the work of Danh Vo, and a reception area designed by Gabriel Sierra. 

The inaugural exhibition includes work by 39 artists. Among them, Damián Ortega greatly contributed to the inception of TODOS JUNTOS (All Together). Ortega, along with Leonor Antunes, Adrián Villar Rojas, Tarek Atoui, Nairy Baghramian, and Haegue Yang, to name only a few, imagined an exhibition that could tell a visual story of kurimanzutto and its community. The title is borrowed from a 2014 work by Tiravanija of the same name that was first shown at the gallery in Mexico City. Creating a new iteration for the show, Tiravanija presents a painted newspaper from July 12, 2022, when the most detailed photographs of the universe, taken by the James Webb telescope, were released. For Tiravanija, the scale and expanse of these images are ultimately profoundly inclusive.

The exhibition is accompanied by a small takeaway publication that tells the history of kurimanzutto, from its first exhibition in 1999 at the Medellín market, Economía de Mercado, through nine years of nomadic projects, to its permanent space in Mexico City, and finally the opening of the new location on 20th Street. Included in this exhibition from that first show in the market are sculptures by Orozco and Ortega. Orozco’s Mixiote, a soft sculpture made with materials coming from the market itself and Ortega’s Transformers, a hybrid of plastic robot toys and organic materials such as crab shells or ginger. Minerva Cuevas, who will have the gallery’s first solo exhibition early next year, presents a bumper car that she imprinted with the logo of British Petroleum for her 2002 exhibition at an amusement park titled DODGEM. David Medalla’s kinetic sculpture Sand Machine comes from a series by the artist associated with Signals, the groundbreaking London gallery founded by Medalla, Gustav Metzger, and Marcello Salvadori in 1964. kurimanzutto has previously mounted exhibitions dedicated to the gallery’s venerable program in both London and New York.

The show also features new works by Antunes, Atoui, Petrit Halilaj, Sofía Táboas, a site-specific piece by Haegue Yang, Sonic Droplets; Havana Syndrome, a collaborative sound work by Wilfredo Prieto and Orozco, and a new Blind Self-Portrait by Abraham Cruzvillegas. Cruzvillegas created an arrangement of every printed invitation from the history of the gallery and covered them in black paint. It is warmly entitled:

Blind retrospective self-portrait experiencing twenty three different stories, to erase them, and to re-write again more atop, while reading some of the best  lines ever written, listening to the soundtrack of my life, eating all my favorite  meals, walking from Medellín market to a new beautiful adventure in New  York, enjoying life with my dearest friends ever, drinking bubbly and trouble  making inspiring spirits, with you, as a promise of unconditional love…

A screening room showcases films by Fernando Ortega, Anri Sala, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Akram Zaatari, and video works by Daniel Guzmán and Alexandra Bachzetsis will be installed in the exhibit. Additionally, Roman Ondak’s performance A Stray Man will take place on Saturdays. 

kurimanzutto would like to thank Aeromexico for their support in bringing artists  together on the occasion of TODOS JUNTOS (All Together), as well as Casa Dragones for their continued support of the celebration of art and community.