Arena Mexico

In the ambiguous act of disguising itself yet making itself stand out from its varicoloured context the gallery is fully mantled in a matt black envelope. This volumetric void draws attention through its simplicity and dark haptic surface while offering a black canvas to the city. For events the entire front wall rotates out to bring art onto the street, breaking the limits between internal gallery space and external public space. Likewise the street life can blend into the gallery area. A raw garage-like space is revealed inside the black box with a mezzanine level that creates two spatial conditions: single and double height space. Workspaces occupy the mezzanine level. Unlike conventional office interiors this floor is a space for art display as much as it is a working environment for the gallery staff, blurring the borders of front-of-house and back-of-house. The tiled floor is a collaboration with artist Andrea Zittel.