Ameeting between Mexico and Novigrad
1 7th International Festival of Fine Arts ARTERIJA
Muzej-Museo Lapidarium · Novigrad-Cittanova
Some projects begin long before the first artwork hangs on a wall, before music is played, or before the doors open to the public. HOLA MEXICO! is such a project.
The initial discussions, ideas, and considerations arose more than a year ago. What was initially conceived as a cultural exchange between Mexico and Novigrad gradually developed into a multifaceted international art project and ultimately became the focus of the 17th ARTERIJA International Festival of Fine Arts at the Muzej-Museo Lapidarium.
From the outset, the collaboration with Jerica Ziherl, director and curator of the Muzej-Museo Lapidarium, and her entire team was characterized by trust, openness, and exceptional personal commitment. Over many months, ideas were exchanged, possibilities explored, artists brought together, and a program developed that aimed not only to present art but also to foster encounters.
It was precisely this collaboration that made HOLA MEXICO! such a special experience. A project of this scale doesn't arise from a concept alone. It grows through people who are willing to take responsibility, find solutions together, invest time, and engage with one another.
A festival is taking shape before the eyes of the city.
HOLA MEXICO! was therefore never conceived as a classic exhibition, fully set up and waiting for its audience.
Even during the first few days of the festival, the museum, the museum park, the town square, and public spaces were transformed into venues for collaborative artistic work. Visitors were able to witness the creation of installations, the placement of artworks, the holding of workshops, and the festival's evolving day by day.
A special component was the collaborative mural created under the direction of Lalok (Juan Muñoz Sotelo) and Marco Grajeda. Mexican cartonería, drawing, music, dance, discussions, and interventions in public space also made the creative process itself part of the festival.
And this is precisely one of the most wonderful experiences of this project: The work didn't begin with the official opening – it was already part of the exhibition.
More than an exhibition
HOLA MEXICO! combines contemporary art with music, dance, workshops, artist talks, studio visits, and participatory formats. At the same time, different generations, artistic languages, and cultural perspectives come together.
For a few days, a vibrant, pulsating present emerged amidst the stone traces of the lapidarium's past: Mexican and European perspectives met, people engaged in conversation, and art became a shared space for experience.
Perhaps that is precisely where the true meaning of this project lies.
HOLA MEXICO! is not just the result of more than a year of preparation. It is the result of trust, cooperation, and the willingness of many people to create something together.
Our special thanks go to Jerica Ziherl and the entire team of the Muzej-Museo Lapidarium for the great cooperation, their hospitality and above all for the trust with which they have accompanied this project from the very beginning.
Working together on HOLA MEXICO! has been and continues to be an exceptionally enriching experience for us.
And perhaps the best thing about it is that, despite its official opening, this project doesn't feel like an end point.
Rather, it's like the beginning of a dialogue that can continue.
Because art can create bridges where previously there was only distance.
HOLA MEXICO! combined artist residency and art festival in one joint project: a space for artistic work, cultural exchange, encounters and the direct experience of art.
Equally indispensable were the musical and dance contributions of Luxana Lozano, Armando Carrillo, Neivi Martínez and the Grupo de Danza Tradicional ATOYAC, which added another dimension to the festival and made Mexican culture not only visible, but also audible and physically tangible.
Numerous other artists contributed their works to the exhibition, expanding the project to include painting, photography, sculpture, textile art, masks, Mexican crosses, and other artistic forms of expression.
Thus, the result was not a static exhibition format, but a space that was constantly changing – driven by collaboration, curiosity and mutual respect.
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A mural as a symbol of the growing friendship between Mexico and Novigrad, created by the artists Lalok – Juan Muñoz Sotelo and Marco Grajeda.
Vor Ort teilnehmende Künstler:innen:
Mitwirkende beim Eröffnungsprogramm: Sängerin Neivi Martínez und die aztekische Tanzgruppe ATOYAC
Mit ihren Werken vertretene Künstler:innen:
Chespi · Sofía Cecilia Andretta Juárez · Francisco Claure Ibarra · Alma Garafoli · Luis Ramos · Irma Hummel · Danka Pastekova · María Eugenia Alpizar · Nichte Ha Gómez · Citlali Gómez · Jorge Luis Hidalgo · Javier Cuadro Grau · Erika Schinner · Mariana Uribe · Juan Jorge Bautista · Daniela Jaureguí · Carolina Licón · Melina Lluvia · Paloma Siblik · Sara Ruiseñor · Gabriele Oberreiter · Gabriele Sabitzer · Annerose Yamaguchi · Dione Juárez · Marcsi Varga