Latin American design: Tec professor leads MoMA exhibition in NY

Ana Elena Mallet has been chosen to curate Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940–1980, an exhibition developed by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York with the aim of recognizing modern Latin American design in history.

In March 2024, the museum will host the first exhibition to examine modern Latin American design on a large scale, explains the curator and Faculty of Excellence professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

“I think that many will be surprised by the diversity of pieces and materials, and of typologies and reflections. The visibility of women designers in the region will also be something new,” highlights Mallet.

The professor also mentioned that although she had collaborated with MoMA in the past, this is the first time she is the principal curator, as well as being the most challenging collaboration she has worked on so far.

“I have worked with the store and have participated in small collaborations with colleagues within the museum before.

“Heading an exhibition at MoMA, and all the challenges it entailed, such as traveling throughout Latin America to gain more context and suggesting pieces for the exhibition and the permanent collection itself has been, without a doubt, the most challenging and enriching experience of my career.”

“Heading an exhibition at MoMA has been, without a doubt, the most challenging and enriching experience of my career.”

Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940-1980

Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940-1980 is focused on pieces from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, all of which shared similar processes of modernization.

“Through the exhibition, we want to present the ways in which the field of design in Latin America, especially design for the domestic sphere, reflects the multiple and complex visions of modernity in the region,” said Ana Elena Mallet.

The exhibition is focused on postwar Latin America, a period characterized by economic growth and rapid modernization. It comprises around 150 objects, including furniture, graphic design, textiles, ceramics, and archive photography.

“A more nuanced vision of Latin America can emerge through the study of objects, material culture, and other forms of expression,” adds the curator.

Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940-1980 will be open to the public from March 8 to September 22, 2024, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.