Elena Bellantoni at SOMA Residency in Mexico City

Italian artist Elena Bellantoni (born 1979 in Vibo Valentia) is participating in the 2016 edition of the SOMA artist residency in Mexico City, one of the most prestigious international residencies in Mexico. The program runs intensively for two months, from Monday to Thursday, with a focus on the theme of "The Archive," inspired by Jacques Derrida's "Mal d'Archive." Activities include reading groups, studio visits, artist talks, and critiques. Every Wednesday, "miércoles de SOMA" features a public lecture by an external critic, artist, or curator. Thursday mornings are dedicated to visits with prominent Mexico City artists, followed by one-on-one critiques with critics and curators. Bellantoni reports that the beginning of each week is devoted to reading and open discussion of critical texts on the archive concept. Participants also tour various archives in the region, such as the Archivo General de la Nación, a former prison (used especially for political prisoners in the 1960s-70s) that retains its panopticon structure and now houses Mexico's oldest documents. Bellantoni describes the experience as intense both humanly and artistically, noting Mexico City's strong cultural ferment and its recent openness to artists from the United States. She observes that issues of border and cultural, economic, and other dominance remain unresolved.