Daniel Buren's 'Las Cajas' Dialogues with Barragán's Casa Gilardi

The exhibition 'Buren, Barragán' at Casa Gilardi in Mexico City, on view until September 26, presents six works from Daniel Buren's series 'Las Cajas, trabajos situados' (2022). Curated by Manuel Tuda and organized by Saenger Galería and Galería Hilario Galguera, the show explores the interaction between contemporary art and the iconic architecture of Luis Barragán's last building, constructed in 1976. Buren's modular, reflective pieces engage with the house's distinctive features—such as the yellow hallway and the blue-red pool area—altering perception of the space while being transformed by it. The French artist, born in Boulogne-Billancourt in 1938, has a long history with Mexico, having visited in the 1950s and been influenced by muralism. His previous Mexican architectural interventions include the Museo Cabañas in Guadalajara (2014) and 'Afuera de salas: Daniel Buren en El Eco' (2019) in Mexico City. The current exhibition, developed through remote dialogue with the curator and gallerists, marks a return to Mexican spaces. The series originated from a 2022 exhibition at Galería Hilario Galguera featuring 25 site-specific works that emphasized the inseparability of artwork, place, and viewer. In Casa Gilardi, Buren's pieces act as temporary guests, reflecting the architecture and offering alternative modes of engagement beyond the white cube.