Frontón Mexico has lived many lives. Built in 1929, the art deco building served as an event space and jai alai venue. It once hosted a farewell party for poet Pablo Neruda in 1943, and in 1968, it even held events when Mexico City was home to the Olympic Games. After the building closed in 1996, it became abandoned for many years. But today, Frontón Mexico has returned to the glory of its heyday, keeping its original color and features intact after a recent renovation by the National Institute of Bellas Artes. It was a fitting venue for the fifth edition of the Material Art Fair, a massive event that winds through ramps spanning three levels in a dizzying layout of 75 different gallery booths from 33 cities in 18 countries.

“The center of art is moving to the edge [of the world]. The center is no longer New York or London, it is Mexico City”

Mexico City has long been a home to the arts, but it has only been in the last few years that it has garnered such astounding levels of international attention for contemporary art and design by international committees and publications. The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design designated Mexico City the world design capital for 2018, stating, “Mexico City has a powerful story to share on the world stage, as a model for other megacities around the world using design to tackle the challenges of urbanization and ensure a more livable city.” The New York Times listed Mexico City as number one on their list of “ 52 Places to Go in 2016,” regrettably citing “the Mexican peso hitting record lows against the dollar” as a reason for visiting.

Read more on the booming art market in Mexico City by William Savinar at GOOD Magazine