Founded in 2018, Mexico City-based MASA has quickly gained a reputation for staging exhibitions in unconventional locations. For the nomadic gallery’s first stop in the US, a former post office inside NYC’s Rockefeller Center was transformed into a spacial experience merging art and design with a hyper-liminal environment. Within a space where messages used to flow in the form of mail, Intervención/Intersección serves as a dispatch about the creative vitality happening in Mexico to the United States.

Some recognizable vestiges of the old post office remain including the retail displays and backroom mail cage. However the most prominent element retained is the paint used to cover the ceiling, walls and floor. From the original postal palette of red, blue, gray and cream, the latter was selected and the entire space was given a respray over the span of a few days. The photos don’t really deliver on the surreal flattening effect of being in the space.

The work is a mix of mostly collectible design and some art from Mexican or Mexico-based architects, designers and artists. There’s some historical pieces included and a portion of the exhibited works were specially commissioned for this show. What stands out is the influence and interpretation of contemporary design and craft mixed with Mexican culture and aesthetics. It’s rare to see a design exhibition these days that escapes the sameness of global internet-influenced trends. Intervención/Intersección is a message from one neighbor to another. It’s an invitation for dialog and an opportunity to experience creative exchange.

Photos and Text: Dave Pinter

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