Alcova will launch its first Latin American edition in Mexico City during Art Week in February 2027, marking a new international chapter for the independent design platform founded by Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima in 2018. After nine years of site-specific editions in Milan and three editions in Miami, Alcova continues its nomadic format in one of the most active creative capitals in the Americas.
DESIGN
The Mexico City edition follows Alcova’s long-standing interest in spaces with architectural and cultural depth. In Milan, the platform has occupied former factories, military hospitals, modernist villas, and industrial ruins, treating each location as part of the exhibition experience. For its debut in Mexico, Alcova will work in partnership with Proyectos Públicos, the Mexico City-based platform founded by Pepe Islas, known for reactivating sites of historical value through architecture, hospitality, and cultural programming.
Alcova Mexico City 2027 will take place across three main venues. In the Juárez neighbourhood, the platform will activate Casa Palomar, a historic residence on General Prim. Built in 1920 and remodelled in 1932 by Carlos Obregón Santacilia, the house carries the memory of Juárez’s early twentieth-century identity as an aristocratic district shaped by Porfiriato-era mansions and European influence. Its rooms, staircases, and courtyards will open to contemporary design presentations during Art Week.
Also in Juárez, the Bucareli School will offer a contrasting architectural setting. Located on one of Mexico City’s oldest grand boulevards, the former school provides generous classrooms and circulation spaces designed for collective use. Together, Casa Palomar and the Bucareli School create a dialogue between domestic scale and civic space.
A third venue, Villa Reforma, will open as a parallel site fifteen minutes from Zona Maco. Designed in the 1950s by Francisco Artigas, the villa is one of the few remaining examples of his residential work outside El Pedregal. Its low horizontal form, L-shaped plan, and expansive glazing connect interior space with the surrounding landscape. Restored by Lorena Vieyra after years of vacancy, the building now hosts the activities of Piacere.
Across these three sites, Alcova Mexico City 2027 will present emerging and established voices from Latin America and beyond, extending the platform’s exploration of design, architecture, and urban context.
