Office National de Diffusion Artistique

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Journal #9 - Mexico City

Travel Journal of Roaming Encounter in Mexico City by Nathalie Dumon, Executive Director and Programming Advisor at the Centre Dramatique National Orléans / Centre-Val de Loire.
March 2026

MEXICO CITY! I am thrilled and honored to be part of this adventure and to seize this incredible opportunity to engage with Mexico’s vibrant and socially conscious arts scene. That’s the first thing that stands out—this trip will allow us to discover projects, meet artists, explore a variety of workspaces, venues, and performance halls, hear about works in progress, and benefit from everyone’s keen insights; to listen to observations and perspectives, struggles, and powerful, essential proposals. Artists with a voice, works rooted in a reality where, since the 2000s, violence and disappearances have skyrocketed.
 
We are welcomed at the French Residence on this first morning. 2026 marks the bicentennial of diplomatic relations between France and Mexico, which will give rise to numerous upcoming cultural events.

 

All week long, Geoliane Arab, International Advisor at Onda, and Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez, a Mexican artist and artistic director of the Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol theater company, have been our invaluable guides. The history of Mexico, the founding of Mexico City on a region of lakes—an area that was completely razed and then rebuilt during Spanish colonization. The political situation and a terrible reality; since 2006, the landscape has changed radically, violence has skyrocketed, and disappearances have increased tenfold. The whole paradox of this country, of this sprawling city, striking in its colors, its vibrancy, its sublime museums, its parks, its authentic and urban neighborhoods—all gridlocked—and its hellish spiral overpasses. Subways and buses with separate entrances for girls and boys—pink seats for girls, black seats for boys in the back—a measure to combat assaults. Eleven femicides a day! From one neighborhood to another, from the historic center and official monuments; to Chapultepec, with its contemporary architecture, museums, parks, and jacaranda trees in bloom; the arena and theaters in Roma; Coyoacán, “place of the coyotes,” a pre-Columbian village with low-rise houses, markets, and music; or the university campus with its brutalist architecture set amid a preserved landscape of lava rock and cacti…

© Nathalie Dumon

Journal #9 - Mexico City

Maria Minera, author, journalist, and art historian, will offer us her sharp and unvarnished analysis of a certain reality in Mexico—one that is cruel and violent—including the cartels and their ramifications, the complicity of state governments, the United States, Europe, the world, and “Las madres buscadoras” (the searching mothers). Encounters with university students, fellow bus passengers, and young people met in bars reveal a sense of vitality and urgency—a picture that is at once desperate yet defiant, featuring a youth movement and a diverse group of socially conscious, engaged artists: a youth in motion. That is the true richness of this journey: it allows us to encounter a diversity of stories, personalities, voices, projects, places, performances, countless facilities, open and shared spaces, and independent, alternative studios. A determination to move forward, to create, to build, to invite, to speak out, and to reach out to the world.

 

 

 

Shoshana Polanco, an independent producer with a radiant smile and unwavering dedication, is also joining us. And we are absolutely spoiled by the wonderful Onda's team: Clarisse Dupouy-Greteau, Anne Routin, and Anne-Cécile Sibué. Every day brings a rich and packed schedule of encounters, discussions, and performances. Things get off to a strong start with the installation and film by L.A.S. [Laboratorio de Artistas Sostenibles], a visual art project exploring self-effacement and disappearance. We’ll encounter numerous testimonies and documentary works—well-researched, personal, and political. From dynamic, tribal, and contemporary forms—such as the collective rituals of Teatro Linea de Sombra—to the reunion of a mother and son on stage in Mi Madre y el dinero by Anacarsis Ramos’s—a life journey, a complex trajectory, and a moving reunion—and to the presentation of his upcoming work, Oda a la pasiva tóxica: desire is political! At UNAM, the largest university in Latin America, with 360,000 students, the Office of Cultural Affairs and the directors of the dance, theater, and music departments showcase the university’s many programs and festivals—nearly 400 projects each year. To mark its bicentennial, UNAM is organizing three weeks of festivities at the start of the academic year, featuring original productions and co-productions. UNAM supports an entire network of artists and offers residencies, workshops, and open houses, with a focus on young artists. In 2026, UNAM will present 22 projects centered on issues of memory, human rights violations, mental health, and care. The featured artists will explore the end of the world, children and their rights, truth and fiction, femicides, Land art, and ecology. Sayuri Navarro, for example, uses art to transform lives and imagine a possible future for all women!

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In Chapultepec Park, near the lake, new groups come to share their practices, Mexican traditions, music, and performance; exploring transfeminity and the body—what constitutes a “normal” body, a central theme in the work of Ana G. Zambrano, artist and founder of El Entresuelo, an alternative space focused on research and improvisation; all bodies!

Next is the rehearsal studio of Máquina de Teatro, a feminist, eco-friendly, and animal-rights theater company that has been around for 30 years and has turned this beautiful place into a welcoming, shared workspace. Once again, four projects follow one another: object theater/storytelling; theater for young audiences—specifically toddlers; “object detectives” for non-traditional venues; traveling installations; and Sara Pinedo and the disappearances, socially engaged, critical, and political art.
 
Not to mention the Museo Universitario del Chopo, dedicated to the visual arts, the performing arts, and live performances—dance, performances, concerts, residencies, and seminars. The Mexican theater scene is vast. The university sees itself as a guardian of memory and freedom of expression. Del Chopo supports artists and activists, organizes debates, and offers a wide-ranging program.
 
The grand finale was hosted by Foco alAire, a group of musicians, performers, and actors who have been invited to Japan, Europe, and international festivals… A joyful, warm evening of performance in a stunning setting. It was almost time to say goodbye, but something was there, at work… An opportunity to be seized!

Last but not least, take a bus to Teotihuacan, a site shrouded in mystery. Pyramids and traces of a lost civilization—climb the Pyramid of the Moon, take in the horizon, the vastness, the immensity—a magnetic and vibrant site!
 


A huge thank you to the entire wonderful team at Onda for making this trip possible—a journey rich with exciting encounters and discoveries. To Lazaro and Geoliane for giving us access to the variety of forms, diversity, and vibrancy of the artistic and political scene; to Shoshana and Arantza for their guidance, their smiles, and their unfailing attention. It was also a joy to share these few days with all of you and to look forward to another Mexican meeting. Viva!!