CURATORS: Lucía Sanromán, director of the LAA, and Paloma Gómez Puente, assistant curator.

The Contemporary Art Museum of Monterrey (MARCO) presents the exhibition Helen Escobedo: Total Environments, which offers a contemporary look at one of the pioneers of installation art in Mexico and opens to the public on August 12.

Helen Escobedo is celebrated for her abstract works, her monumental public sculptures located in urban spaces and institutional settings, as well as for her role as a cultural administrator.

By the late 1960s, the artist shifted from traditional techniques to the creation of habitable sculptures—immersive, ephemeral works that challenged artistic canons, often imbued with critical perspectives or humor. It is precisely from this standpoint that the exhibition is conceived, tracing a period of production from 1969 to 2010.

In total, the show brings together 108 works, including paintings, collages, drawings, models, and sculptures, organized into four thematic sections: Inhabiting Geometry, Vertical Landscapes, Counter-Monuments to the Everyday, and The Wetbacks. The exhibition explores the relationship between human beings and architecture, the home, the museum, nature, and social politics. The artist continually references urban and social contexts, as well as the environmental crisis, encouraging interaction and fostering connections among those who experience her work. In this way, Helen Escobedo invites us to reflect on the impact humans have on one another and on the world, anticipating what has come to be known as relational art—a catalyst for collective and shared experiences.