Vorticidad, a curatorial project conducting field research in Mexico, explores the political and poetic impact of the visual arts within the national and Latin American social landscape. Particular attention is paid to artistic expressions of a performative or collective nature. Comprised of young art historians and curators, Vorticidad’s team proactively researches artistic and curatorial projects which in the process of engaging specific historical, societal or environmental issues develop a language oscillating between the rational and the fictional.

Borrowing its name from a term in the field of Physics referring to the rotation speed of fluids, Vorticidad (i.e. Vorticity) alludes to the constant movement of thoughts between the autonomy of art and the impact of artistic practices in society and vice versa. Moving beyond aesthetic debates regarding the tensions between art for art’s sake and for instance social art or participatory art, Vorticidad wishes to disseminate works and projects capable of producing what Rancière calls a “new distribution of the material and symbolic space.”

During its first stages, Vorticidad launched a Spanish-English bilingual website, where selected artistic and curatorial projects were showcased and interviews with the involved curators and artists published. Providing an insider’s view of the Mexican art scene, the published material examines the motivations and questions behind the different projects. A particular emphasis is placed on the conditions of art production and dissemination in an art field that is influenced from the growing impact of post-capitalist economies.

Vorticidad as a think tank and curatorial project seeks to lay the foundation for future, perhaps even unexpected, collaborations. One of the project goals is to develop an exhibition and performance series focusing on the various artists involved in the platform. This would not only foster cultural exchange, but also a broader discussion concerning a specific architectural, social and cultural problematic and its translation to other contexts.