BE-LONGING. An exhibition of the Mercedes Benz Art Collection in Mexico City brings together selected works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection and contemporary artists living and working in Mexico. The show marks the launch of a new series of dialogue-driven, international exhibitions of the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection designed to engage with local artistic practices. Through a dynamic and modular approach, this initiative aims to reach a broad international audience while fostering collaborations between Mercedes-Benz employees, different communities as well as diverse artistic networks in key international locations—Mexico City being the first.

BE-LONGING explores the theme of identity, a subject deeply embedded in contemporary artistic discourse and continuously negotiated within society at large. Featuring works by 32 international artists, the exhibition is structured around four interwoven conceptual axes approaching culturally relevant themes such as bodies, origins, territories and memories. These thematic strands allow for multiple interpretations and perspectives on identity emphasising the concepts of fluidity, dialogue, and the interplay between different approaches.

For instance, Naomi Rincón Gallardo and Clément Cogitore approach history, decolonial perspectives and forms of resistance from different cultural backgrounds and temporalities. In her playful, yet conceptually highly multi-layered video „Opossum Resilience“ (2019), Rincón Gallardo fuses what she calls “bastardized Mesoamerican myths” with contemporary geopolitical issues of accumulation and dispossession. She promotes a decolonial, feminist perspective, emphasizing the resilience and activism of traditional communities. Performative actions and music become also expressions of resistance in Clément Cogitore’s video „Les Indes Galantes“ (2017). The artist pairs music from a 1735 opera-ballet by French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, which was partly inspired by the exoticized performances of Native American chiefs for the French king with K.R.U.M.P „(Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise)“. This contemporary dance style, born in the early 1990s in Los Angeles, serves as a form of protest. Dancers of different ages and cultural backgrounds interpret and subvert the music, transmitting emotional eruption and rage, challenging the colonial gaze and reclaiming a different narrative. ...

COOPERATING PARTNERS
The Mercedes-Benz Art Collection was founded in 1977 and is now one of the most important European corporate collections of museum quality and international reputation. The collection includes around 3,000 works by more than 800 artists, presenting famous artists such as Cao Fei, Alicja Kwade, Charlotte Posenenske, Oskar Schlemmer, Franz Erhard Walther or Andy Warhol. The art collection focuses on abstract-constructive pictorial concepts and critical-engaged art, as well as representative works and commissions on themes such as automobility, design and construction. It embodies Mercedes-Benz' broad social commitment to culture and education. With exhibitions of the artworks within the company and in museums, the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection makes it possible for a broad public to experience the collection. It attaches great importance to the acquisition of contemporary art and is strongly committed to diversity.

Mercedes-Benz Mexico is responsible for sales, marketing and customer services for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and vans for the Mexican market and since 2020, regional hub for 32 Latin American markets. Mercedes-Benz Mexico has a longstanding relationship with the local art and culture environment, frequently collaborating with artists, designers and cultural institutions with a strong commitment to support the arts community. Embodying innovation, luxury and creativity, they are looking forward to promoting a cultural exhibition to customers and to the public, making a corporate art collection accessible.

Polina Stroganova, (1982, Moscow) is an independent curator, art consultant and lecturer based in Mexico City. She holds a Master of Cultural Studies from the University of Lüneburg, with a major in Contemporary Art History and Theory. A dedicated agent in the cultural field, Stroganova has experience as a gallery director, curator, writer, and university lecturer. She served as the director and partner at Proyectos Monclova between 2014 and 2023, the director of Galerie Crone in Berlin (2011-2013) and the director of 401contemporary in London (2009-2011). She has curated a number of independent exhibitions in Mexico, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. She currently holds a teaching position in the Postgraduate Program of Centro. / Sotheby’s Institute, Mexico City.

C Cúbica Arquitectos was founded 35 years ago by Andrea Cesarman, Emilio Cabrero, and Marco Coello, who shared a common vision for architecture, design, and culture, with a deep love for Mexico. Graduates of Universidad Anáhuac, they have built a multidisciplinary trajectory with projects ranging from residential and interior architecture, public and cultural spaces to restoration and exhibition design, establishing themselves as one of the most versatile firms in the country. Their commitment to design goes beyond architecture. In collaboration with the Government of Mexico City and Design Week Mexico, they secured the designation of CDMX as World Design Capital 2018, promoting design as a tool for social and urban transformation. They have created key platforms such as Design Week Mexico, Mexico Territorio Creativo, and the cultural centre Espacio CDMX, fostering innovation, sustainability, and the connection between design and architecture.

Espacio CDMX Arquitectura y Diseño, formerly the Taller del Trenecito de Chapultepec, is a space regenerated by MXTC in 2018 as part of World Design Capital (WDC) CDMX 2018. The building dates back to 1964 and is attributed to architect Félix Candela for its architectural qualities. As part of the physical and symbolic recovery process and its new purpose, the space has hosted exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and activations, featuring projects by students, designers, architects, and cultural production collectives focused on design. These initiatives aim to create a highly curated content experience for visitors. The cooperation with the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection is the first exhibition primarily dedicated to contemporary art.



Artists: Emma Adler, Jane Alexander, Farah Al Qasimi, Francis Alÿs, Leonor Antunes, Pia Camil, Nicole Chaput, Clément Cogitore, Cao Fei, David Goldblatt, Wu Hao, Isaac Julien, Alicja Kwade, Enrique López Llamas, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jorge Méndez Blake, Zanele Muholi, Ann-Kathrin Müller, Berenice Olmedo, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Chantal Peñalosa Fong, Elodie Pong, Naomi Rincón Gallardo, Barbara Sánchez-Kane, Lerato Shadi, Dayanita Singh, Pamela Singh, Buhlebezwe Siwani, Martin Soto Climent, Tercerunquinto, Frieda Toranzo Jaeger, Theresa Weber.

Curated by Polina Stroganova.



Image: Key Visual „BE-LONGING“. An exhibition of the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection in Mexico City © Enrique López Llamas and LLANO (Mexico City).
Courtesy: the artists, the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, Mercedes-Benz Mexico, C Cúbica Arquitectos and Espacio CDMX. The use of this photo is only permitted in connection with editorial coverage of the exhibition BE-LONGING from May 30 to August 31, 2025 at Espacio CDMX.