COLOCAO is a word born from the street, used to describe a moment of euphoria or the act of placing something or someone. Reinterpreted by Casa Canera, it means to “get high” on the addiction to creating art. The exhibition is the result of the pedagogical project of the same name, which seeks to generate artistic training processes from an independent framework—demonstrating that these kinds of spaces can stand alongside formal institutions. Through an open call, eight emerging artists—preferably from peripheral areas—were selected with the goal of deepening their practice in the visual arts and exposing them to contemporary approaches through workshops, talks, and labs supported by fifteen artists, educators, and cultural managers. COLOCAO was funded by the Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo (PAC) and spanned ten months, promoting the exchange of knowledge and the creation of a community of artists that has, in turn, led to the formation of new collectives.

​

​

On the other hand, within the curatorial proposal, a parallel exhibition is presented featuring the work of five artists who accompanied the grantees throughout their creative process. PONER LA CASA (Setting the House) proposes a horizontal and transgenerational dialogue with “lxs colocao,” making visible the embodied support of “lxs canera” by offering their space, management skills, and knowledge to spark new imaginaries, provoke processes, and accompany the new generation of artists. This process would not have been possible without the collaborative energy and camaraderie generated thanks to the support of Melisa Salazar Carrión, Monserrat Escudero, Eduardo Castillo, Gema López, Alex Pérez, Lucila Zavala Tinajero, Yoliz Yorke, Van Galle, Rodrigo Meneses, Mariana Haro Goñi, Areli Becerril Escobedo, Ivette Gasca, and Rafa Delik Padilla—who all went above and beyond in offering mentorship, workshops, talks, and production support.

 

 

Text written collaboratively by Josué Martínez “Homie” and Alan Castro, Casa Canera, and Selma Guisande, curatorship.