Nomadic design gallery Masa presents ‘The Last Tenant’, an exhibition of art and design pieces curated by Mario García Torres and set against the backdrop of a modernist villa in Mexico City

Masa’s ‘The Last Tenant’ exhibition is curated by Mario García Torres and features works by Mexican and international designers and artists shown against the backdrop of the gallery’s 1970s house in Mexico City. Pictured here is a sculpture by Jorge Yázpik shown in the property’s garden

A gallery serving as a global platform for Mexican design, Masa presents its fourth exhibition, titled ‘The Last Tenant’ and curated by artist Mario García Torres. Set against the backdrop of the gallery’s modernist white villa HQ in Mexico City, the exhibition features works by Mexican and international designers and artists, including Héctor Esrawe, Brian Thoreen, Ewe Studio, Rooms, Jorge Yázpik as well as Torres himself.

The exhibition displays were arranged to imagine the house’s past lives, its inhabitants and their stories. ‘Little information is available from the modern white house at Palmas 1145 in Mexico City; but while entering it, it’s not difficult to start imagining daily routines, celebrations and singular moments,’ says Torres. ‘One starts to connect little details that transpire from the materials used and left behind in it.’

Pieces on display include Georgian design studio Rooms’ ‘Butterfly’ chair in stainless steel, created in collaboration with Masa; Torres’ carved stone furniture; and lighting by Esrawe, among some of the Mexican designer’s more experimental pieces. Artworks and furniture design coexist in the space, which despite having been left raw and untouched, has maintained its modernist charm.

For Torres, showcasing contemporary furniture, objects and art in this place suspended in time forms an important curatorial statement. ‘After an extraordinary year that has largely questioned our lives’ rhythms and values, this experience seeks a deeper understanding of our artists’ and designers’ practices,’ he says. ‘If some works demand the audience to stop for a moment to be considered, others have been themselves waiting for us to catch up with them, and make them pertinent to our time.’

The gallery opened in 2019 as a platform for collectible and limited-edition design in Mexico, and has since evolved with regular exhibitions celebrating art, design and architecture. §

Carlos Amorales’ Juguetes Melissa (Segundo Prototipo) shown inside one of the modernist house’s rooms

In the airy living area are stone tables by Mexican design studio Ewe and wall pieces by Danish artist Marie Lund

Sculptures by Geles Cabrera

‘Solstice’ lamps by Héctor Esrawe

Pieces from various designers come together in the modernist house: shown here are metal chairs by Georgia-based design studio Rooms, stone tables by Mexican design studio Ewe and wall pieces by Danish artist Marie Lund

Sculpture by Jorge Yázpik shown inside the house

The house’s original kitchen fixtures were left, while curator Mario García Torres added one of his own designs. Titled ‘Escenario’, the piece features a Tiffany Lamp and wood base

Another piece by Torres is characterised by raw stone carved to become a seat

Similarly to the house’s kitchen, its old bathroom was left in place, becoming the set for Mexican artist Milena Muzquiz’s work

MEXICAN DESIGN NEWS