Mexico Now Festival: Patrimonio with Santiago Arau

Book Presentation and Q&A with Author – Free with RSVP

Patrimonio is a just-released, book-length compendium of Santiago Arau‘s meticulous photographs detailing the topography and beauty of Anáhuac, the Valley of Mexico. Captured between 2015 and 2023, the almost 200 images in this oversized volume explore the territory’s heritage, geography, and culture to provide a current state of its union. Mexico City-born photographer and social media phenomenon Santiago Arau has attracted nearly a quarter-million followers on Instagram for his exquisitely framed and deeply moving aerial photos. He uses drones to offer a fresh perspective on uncommon scenes, offering a unique sense of his homeland’s density and complexity. Arau has participated in exhibitions at El Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, the Casa de América in Madrid, and the Venice Biennale. The BBC, The Guardian, and El País have published his journalistic work. Patrimonio’s particular focus is on the Anáhuac Valley’s natural wealth. The collection serves as an urgent call to raise awareness of this landscape’s irreparable destruction, caused by uncontrollable human expansion. The delicate balance of environmental richness and the local population’s astonishing artistic and cultural depth lies at the heart of Arau’s central dichotomy, infusing these images with vibrant, didactic life.

This presentation is part of Mexico Now Festival (MXNOW), celebrating its 20th anniversary from November 20 to 24 with five nights of music, photography, film, multimedia art, and a community celebration. Events are free to attend with an RSVP and will take place at the festival’s new hub for 2024: Chelsea Factory. Over the past two decades, MXNOW has provided a pivotal pipeline connecting the arts and cultural communities of Mexico and the United States. The festival has presented over 500 artists to audiences of tens of thousands of New Yorkers partnering with over 150 venues and cultural institutions throughout the five boroughs. Founded in 2004 by award-winning curator and producer Claudia Norman of CN Management, MXNOW is New York City’s first and only independent festival spotlighting contemporary Mexican art and culture. To this day, Ms. Norman remains the only major Mexican-born festival director in New York City. Her continuing goal is to share the rich ancient traditions and vital new ideas emerging in Mexico’s vibrant arts scene by showcasing Mexican and Mexican-American creators alongside US artists who embrace Mexican culture.