Francisco Morales V.
Cd. de México (08 agosto 2024) .-21:00 hrs
Upon entering the second-floor gallery of Casa Wabi Sabino, located in the Atlampa neighborhood, visitors find themselves in a different country: the Mexico that architect Alberto Kalach (Mexico City, 1960) has imagined for decades—a country that simultaneously exists and does not exist.
In this spacious studio, designed by Kalach himself for artist Bosco Sodi, a hundred models and mockups made from various materials and of different sizes testify to the architect’s dedication to envisioning an alternative Mexico.
“This is merely a fifth of the models Alberto keeps in his studio, and to me, this is a portrait of his commitment to civic life,” explained curator Dakin Hart during the exhibition’s opening last Saturday.
“It’s really about building civilization,” Hart added, referring to the Mexican architect’s work, which has frequently expressed his fascination with Vitruvius’ 2,000-year-old architectural treatise.
For the exhibition, Hart selected works by Kalach that span chronologically from his never-built Total Theater (1992), a spherical performance venue meticulously crafted in wood, to his most recent projects conceived last year, currently under development in Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Quintana Roo.
The exhibition includes, of course, those works that have become iconic, like the Vasconcelos Library, whose wooden model, showcasing the recognizable nave and suspended bookshelves, immediately draws attention.
Last weekend, upon seeing this volume of his work gathered in a public space for the first time, Kalach immediately approved the title chosen for the exhibition.
“It’s called Panorama, and that’s exactly what it is: a panoramic view of many different projects, many of which were on the verge of being forgotten. But Dakin came to the office, took some things, and assembled this fantastic exhibition,” the architect celebrated.
The projects, varying in scale, purpose, and technique, are displayed side by side, regardless of whether they were built or remained conceptual.
“Alberto is truly both a conceptual artist and a working architect, where architecture exists whether it is built or not…” Hart remarked in an interview alongside Kalach.
“Well, I prefer to think of it that way, because otherwise, I’d be completely frustrated,” the architect responded with a smile.
The models and mockups were placed on brick islands on the gallery floor and grouped according to the cities they were built in or planned for.
Visitors begin their tour in the north, where projects intended for Nuevo León, such as the House and Chapel for the Monterrey Institute of Technology, and for Coahuila, such as the IMSS clinic in Saltillo, are displayed.
At the back of the gallery, in the south, are the projects for Quintana Roo and Yucatán, such as his interventions at the Hacienda Tzancalab in Mérida. To the west lies his extensive work in Oaxaca, both in the state capital and in Puerto Escondido.
This geographical arrangement, which also includes Jalisco, Nayarit, Baja California Sur, and seven other states, centers on Mexico City, where the placement of models even reflects roads like Reforma and Constituyentes.
“It’s like a portrait of both Alberto and the country at the same time,” commented Hart.
“No single model stands out too much, and they’re placed on the floor so you can kneel down to see them. But also because the idea was to create a kind of topography of the country through Alberto’s eyes or through his thoughts on all these types of architecture,” he elaborated.
Kalach had previously been invited to display his models at the Vasconcelos Library, and he even designed a way to exhibit them. However, the authorities refused because it interfered with some “yellow lines” painted on the floor to guide visitors.
“We didn’t do it because they wanted the models in the corner of the building, and I wanted to show them in a more interesting spot for people to enjoy, for students to feel encouraged, excited by the idea that making models is a tool for the imagination,” he explained.
These tools, which had been stored in his office, Taller de Arquitectura X, were not made for clients but as an integral part of the imaginative process required by his practice.
“I believe this is a way to share information and learn from each other,” he said about the exhibition.
“I know we are in the digital age, but the art of model-making is somewhat forgotten, but no renderings or 3D views can replace the reality of a volume, which you can enter or contemplate from all sides,” he remarked.
Some projects are shown through simple working models made of materials like cardboard, while others are fully finished in wood and bronze.
“These stem from the frustration of not being able to build them, so we have to build them, at least as final projects, to have them and be able to show them to others,” he acknowledged regarding those that didn’t materialize in the field.
It’s a way to preserve projects that also involves the work of many, like model maker Armando Hernández, and the collaboration of the rest of his studio, whom he insists on naming: Andrea González, Lucas Elizondo, Edgar Ojeda, Ainhoa Jiménez, Roberto Rodríguez, and Sary Chedraui.
“Hundreds of architects have passed through my office, and a bit of their influence remains here,” Kalach declared.
“And much of your DNA in them,” Hart interjected, to which the architect replied with a heartfelt yet joking, “I hope so…”
‘A Quixotic Crusade’
In the introductory text of Panorama, Hart refers to Kalach’s decades-long efforts to restore the lacustrine ecosystem of the Valley of Mexico as a “Quixotic crusade.”
These efforts for a more sustainable country, like his master plan for the Texcoco Airport, which proposed a comprehensive rescue of the lake, are showcased as a testament to the imagination used to improve the environment.
Accompanied by works by Bosco Sodi that reference Mexico’s vegetation and volcanic topography, these projects aim to inspire new generations of architects.
Open until October 6 at the Mexico City headquarters of Fundación Casa Wabi, located at Sabino 336, Alberto Kalach’s panoramic view reveals an imaginary and still possible Mexico.
