Networks in Movement: Mobile Coordinates (Mexico, 2024)

Beneath Tides Column

By fernanda ramos mena

_{^{Coordenadas móviles. Redes de colaboración entre mujeres en la cultura y el arte (1975-1985). México: CIEG/UNAM, FIEBRE Ediciones, Project Office, Editorials, 2024. Register by Alessandro Rivera.}}

Reading Mobile Coordinates: Networks of Collaboration Among Women in Culture and Art (1975-1985) is like unfolding a map filled with unexpected paths, where threads cross and intertwine, challenging the notion of a linear history. Through a research project (2020-2023), the authors and editors of the book—Gemma Argüello Manresa, Natalia de la Rosa, Carla Lamoyi, and Roselin Rodríguez Espinosa—along with other invited authors, weave together oral histories, personal archives, and collections, shedding light on the collective narratives of women leading in activism, art, literature, institutional management, and criticism between 1975 and 1985. Each of the texts in the publication challenges the foundations of the official art history of Mexico City by sharing fragments of a narrative that, otherwise, would have remained hidden from significant accounts. Here, the drive is collective—a chorus of voices that revive forgotten struggles and maintain an ongoing dialogue with the present, creating space for cultural workers to question institutional shortcomings and demand narratives that are more plural, inclusive, and closer to our own stories.

_{^{Coordenadas móviles. Redes de colaboración entre mujeres en la cultura y el arte (1975-1985). México: CIEG/UNAM, FIEBRE Ediciones, Project Office, Editorials, 2024. Register by Alessandro Rivera.}}

In Performance, Activism, and Feminist Pedagogies, researcher and curator Gemma Argüello Manresa revisits the emergence of key organizations such as MAS,¹ (Mujeres en Acción Solidaria – Women in Solidarity Action), MNM², (Mujeres en Acción Solidaria – Women in Solidarity Action), CFM (Coalición Feminista – Feminist Coalition), and MLM³ (Movimiento de Liberación de la Mujer – Women’s Liberation Movement), whose protest methods closely resembled performance. This chapter explores the connection between activism and artistic production, highlighting initiatives like Foro de la Mujer ⁴(women’s forum) and early feminist publications such as La Revuelta⁵ (The Revolt), Cihuat⁶, and fem⁷ (female). Through these movements, women in activism gained visibility, they developed feminist methodologies in collectives like Bio Arte⁸ (Bio Art), Polvo de Gallina Negra⁹, (Black Hen Powder) and Tlacuilas¹⁰ y Retrateras¹¹ (Tlacuilas and Portrait Artists) in the 1980s, all within a context where voices rose against violence and demanded urgent change.

Art historian and curator Natalia de la Rosa offers an alternative view of museum history, highlighting female managers and artists instead of focusing on the patriarchal figures often dominating this narrative in her text Gestoras, Colección y Exhibiciones (Managers, Collection, and Exhibitions). In this context, she emphasizes crucial moments like the Pintoras/escultoras/grabadoras/fotógrafas/tejedoras/ceramistas (Painters/Sculptors/Engravers/Photographers/Weavers/Ceramists) exhibition of 1977, driven by UNMM and CFM at the Carrillo Gil Museum, which questioned the boundaries between art and craft. Additionally, she mentions the collaboration of Artes Visuales¹² (Visual Arts) magazine with The Woman’s Building in the exhibition What is Feminist Art? extending transnational networks and bringing visibility to Mexican women artists beyond national borders.

Meanwhile, artist and editor Carla Lamoyi offers a brief yet substantial account of the trajectories of artists she calls “undisciplined,” such as Nahui Ollin and Antonieta Rivas Mercado, suggesting that feminist genealogies in Mexican art have deeper roots than is often acknowledged. Lamoyi also highlights the work of female-founded publishing houses, which not only focused on self-publishing but also on collaboration. She demystifies the figure of Felipe Ehrenberg and places Martha Hellion as the protagonist behind Beau Geste Press¹³, a key publisher in creating artist books. She also analyzes projects like the Taller de las Tres Sirenas¹⁴ (Three Mermaids Workshop), created by Carmen Boullosa, or Cocina Ediciones (Kitchen Editions) by Yani Pecanins¹⁵, which reflect a strong female presence in independent publishing. Furthermore, her chapter explores the influence of experimental poetry and the mail art biennials organized by Araceli Zúñiga and the Núcleo Post Arte group, which integrated interdisciplinary practices.

In the essay Desbordes entre teoría, crítica de arte y producción artística (Overflowing between Theory, Art Criticism, and Artistic Production), historian and curator Roselin Rodríguez Espinosa delves into a rarely explored theme—the intersection of artistic and theoretical writing to promote both individual and collective work, often by female artists, theorists, curators, and managers who championed their colleagues’ efforts. Rodríguez invites us to reflect on crucial events like Bordando sobre la escritura y la cocina (Embroidery on Writing and Cooking), organized by Margo Glantz, where historically feminized tasks were revalued as spaces for knowledge production. Her analysis focuses on debates surrounding “female art” and “feminist art,” propelled by publications such as Artes Visuales and fem. Artists transformed history, from interventions in the Mona Lisa to critiques of Marx’s representation in Maris Bustamante’s work. Rodríguez Espinosa concludes her essay with Leticia Ocharán’s carpetas rosas (Pink Folders), an attempt to document a history of art made by women—a project left incomplete due to her untimely death.

_{Map of collaboration networks. Performance, activism and feminist pedagogies. Design by Eliete Martín del Campo Treviño}

Each chapter complements the others. Their references intersect and form a cartography that unfolds in conceptual maps included at the end. These maps reveal connections among women artists, managers, writers, and feminist groups, opening up new paths to reading art history from a broader and more complex perspective.

Additionally, throughout the book, brief insertions from long-term research allow us to zoom in on specific moments: Alejandra Moreno narrates the birth of the lesbofeminist movement and its ties to art; Blanca Edna Alonso Rosas explores the work of Cine Mujer (Women’s Cinema); Elva Peniche presents a fragment of her research on the Foro de Arte Contemporáneo (Contemporary Art Forum) and the managers involved; Pilar García recalls the work of Galería Pecanins (Pecanins Gallery) in promoting women artists; and finally, Irving Domínguez examines the trajectory of artists who have incorporated photography into their practices.

On a personal level, Mobile Coordinates lightens the burden of a journey where dominant male voices have prevailed in my academic education and professional environment. This book marks a milestone for future research by offering the opportunity to decentralize unilateral narratives and continue digging deeper to tell other perspectives of history across different regions of Mexico.

 This research led to the exhibition of the same name, presented at the Carrillo Gil Museum from September 30, 2023, to February 25, 2024. For more information, visit: https://www.museodeartecarrillogil.com/exposicion/coordenadas-moviles-redes-de-colaboracion-entre-mujeres-en-la-cultura-y-el-arte-1975-1985/)

1. The first autonomous feminist group in Mexico, Mujeres en Acción Solidaria (MAS), was formed in 1971 to study women’s issues and inform through conferences and public events. ↩︎
2. The Movimiento Nacional de Mujeres (MNM) was founded in 1972 as a civil association, composed of professional women linked to communication ↩︎
3. In 1974, the Movimiento de Liberación de la Mujer (MLM) emerged from MAS, focusing on women’s roles in society, labor, and the movement’s autonomy. The MLM later evolved into Colectivo La Revuelta. In 1976, the Movimiento Feminista Mexicano (MFM) emphasized feminist struggle against class society. ↩︎
4. Foro de la Mujer, a feminist radio program produced by Radio UNAM from 1972 to 1986 and created by Alaíde Foppa, addressed women’s rights and social issues. ↩︎
5. La Revuelta Collective was founded in 1975 as a breakaway group from the Women’s Liberation Movement (MLM). Composed of young feminists, they aimed to challenge the official Women’s Year Conference by creating a feminist newspaper to raise awareness about women’s issues under capitalism. The founders prioritized social consciousness over large-scale movements (Hiriart, 1985). ↩︎
6. Cihuat was a pioneering feminist publication in Mexico, founded in 1977 as part of the second-wave feminist movement. It aimed to raise awareness and support for women’s rights, particularly advocating for free and legal abortion, sexual education, and contraceptive access. The publication criticized mainstream feminist approaches, emphasizing active feminist praxis and rejecting stereotypes about feminism. Published by the Coalición de Mujeres Feministas, Ciuat played a key role in documenting and supporting feminist activism, particularly in response to the high rates of illegal abortion and sexual violence in Mexico (Toto Gutiérrez, 1977). ↩︎
7. The feminist magazine fem was founded in 1976, emerging from discussions among key feminist figures like Alaíde Foppa, Margarita García Flores, and Elena Poniatowska. It aimed to be an inclusive platform for diverse feminist voices, addressing issues such as invisible labor, sexual harassment, and women’s contributions to art, science, and technology. fem sought widespread distribution, reaching a peak circulation of 16,000 copies through a partnership with the newspaper unomásuno. It became a vital resource for understanding the evolution of feminist thought and activism in Mexico (Lamas, 1996; Poniatowska, 1977). ↩︎
8. Bio-Arte was a feminist art collective founded in 1983 by Nunik Sauret, Laita, Roselle Faure, Rose Van Lengen, and Guadalupe García-Vasquez. It emerged within the 1970s–1980s Mexican art scene, addressing political and social issues, particularly focusing on women’s biological metamorphosis. ↩︎
9. Polvo de Gallina Negra was a feminist art group founded by non-object visual artists Maris Bustamante and Mónica Mayer in 1983. It was the first group of its kind in Mexico. ↩︎
10. Tlacuilo(a) is a Nahuatl word meaning “one who carves stone or wood” or “one who writes by painting.” In the tradition of tlacuilos, both men and women were dedicated to interpreting and expressing the ancient beliefs of their people regarding time, space, history, and knowledge. Their works were represented in murals and codices. ↩︎
11. Tlacuilas y Retrateras was one of the first feminist art collectives in Mexico. It was founded in May 1983 by Ruth Albores, Consuelo Almeda, Karen Cordero, Ana Victoria Jiménez, Lorena Loaiza, Nicola Coleby, Marcela Ramírez, Isabel Restrepo, Patricia Torres, and Elizabeth Valenzuela, following a feminist art workshop taught by Mónica Mayer at the Academia de San Carlos, National School of Plastic Arts (UNAM). ↩︎
12. Artes Visuales (1973-1981) was the first bilingual contemporary arts journal in Latin America, co-founded, directed, and edited by Carla Stellweg. ↩︎
13. Beau Geste Press (BGP), founded in 1971 by Martha Hellion and Felipe Ehrenberg, was an influential independent publishing house based in rural Devon, UK. Specializing in limited-edition artists’ books, it became a hub for Fluxus, neo-Dada, and visual poetry. ↩︎
14. Mexican writer Carmen Boullosax founded the Taller Tres Sirenas in 1980, dedicated to the production of artist’s books in small print runs. ↩︎
15. Yani Pecanins (1957–2019) was a Mexican artist known for founding Cocina Ediciones in 1977, a collaborative publishing project focused on handmade artist books, magazines, and portfolios. The project utilized various printing techniques, including mimeography and photocopying. Pecanins also co-founded the bookstore El Archivero in 1993. ↩︎