Hello Ana Elena, I had the great opportunity to participate in the exhibition you curated for the Mexican luxury brand TRISTA a few years ago. I participated as a speaker, and I didn’t got the chance to meet you at the event, but I absolutely loved your work. I wanted to interview you because I’m aware of your experience in the curatorship of fashion, and you have a great path in your career.
Did you always knew you wanted to be a curator? I didn’t knew what was a the work as a curator. But when I started to work at the museum, she worked in educational services, then I worked in a contemporary gallery. That’s how she understood what was curatorship about. Then I went to Sumaya museum when it was inaugurated. I passed through all of the departments of the museum, then I understood what things have to be done as a curator. So she decided to that was her path.
What makes you passionate about fashion, art and culture? I think fashion, art, culture and design are cultural inherent disciplines in the daily life and see them through the eyes of the museum as the basis of culture. To understand ourselves in other way in civilization and the society we live in That’s what I like to watch, analyze so other people can see.
Through your career, how many exhibitions for fashion designers have you curated?
“Entre la moda y la tradición.” Between fashion and tradition” Collection by Marguerite Rostan. Co-curatorship with Marta Turok. Museum Franz Mayer, Mexico City, 20 of June till 20 of October of 2019.
“Kimonos y diseños de Minoru Kobayashi + Huellas de Japón en la moda en México.” Kimonos and design by Minoru Kabayashi + Prints of Japan in Mexican Fashion. Fábrica de San Pedro, Uruapán, Michoacán Mexico from 5 of april to 25 de agosto de 2019.
“Habitar el 68.” Metropolitan Gallery of Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Ciudad de México, from 27 of September till 23 of noviembre de 2018.
Trista. Una década contando historias. “Trista, a decade counting stories” Gallery Terreno Baldío. Ciudad de México. From 26 of January to 28 marzo of 2017.
El arte de la indumentaria y la moda. México 1940-2015. The art of garments and fashion” Fomento Cultural Banamex. 3 of mayo till 2 of October 2016.
Hilos y entramados. Prácticas colaborativas en el diseño mexicano. Centro Cultural Clavijero. Morelia, Michoacán. Del 7 de febrero al 13 de mayo de 2016. Co-curaduría con Pilar Obeso.
Escenas y atavíos. Imágenes y vestuario de la ópera del Met. Auditorio Nacional. Del 31 de octubre 31 al 12 de enero 2016. Ciudad de México
Palacio de Hierro 125 años. Palacio de Hierro, Centro. Del 9 de octubre al 10 de noviembre de 2013. Ciudad de México.
Paisaje Mocheval. Diseño, Moda y Tradición. Museo Franz Mayer. Del 3 de febrero al 4 de marzo. Ciudad de México.
Julia y Renata. Quince años de diseño, experimentación e imagen. Sala Juárez del Laboratorio de Arte Variedades (LARVA). Guadalajara, Jalisco, del 27 de noviembre de 2010 al 30 de enero 2011.
200 años de moda. Palacio de Hierro del 24 de septiembre al 23 de octubre Palacio de Hierro Centro. Ciudad de México
Fernando Gamboa. La Utopía moderna.“Modern Utopia” Museum of Modern Art 8 de diciembre al 15 de abril 2010. Ciudad de México
Who are your favorite fashion brands and fashion designers? Mexican Designers: Trista, Gullermo Vargas, Francisco Cancino, Carla Fernández. If we talk about international designers they would be: Alexander McQueen, Vent Mont designers.
In your own point of view, what makes a fashion designer unforgettable within time? That the designer keeps anchored in culture, and what the designer is working on is fundamentally. All of the designers that survive through time have to do with culture. Understand the cultural imaginary. The only way to understand it, is to know the essence of their brand, history of their country they are working on, and their historic moment they are living.