Walk with the Devil with Fabiola Talavera

July 2024

This program was a part of Montez Press Radio: A Word Misheard is a Thing Remade library residency.

Walk with the Devil is a series hosted by Fabiola Talavera that focuses on the cultural assimilation processes of first generation Latin American artists and cultural workers living in New York City. The title refers to what Cuban curator and critic Gerardo Mosquera describes as the often-fruitful pact made when historically colonized cultures digest the culture of colonizers. For her sub-residency with Montez Press Radio library residency, Fabiola travelled to New York to meet with artists who had moved to the Big Apple from places all over Latin America. She was curious to learn about their experiences, what had they made of their diasporic journey’s as an artist.

Fabiola’s month-long research trip in New York culminated in a live gathering at Canal Projects on July 11, 2024, bringing together several artists of the Latin American diaspora that are currently located in New York. In the opening 30 minutes of the event, guests viewed Fernando Palma Rodríguez’s exhibition at Canal Projects while the speakers played Compilation 1 by Hueso Records. Later on, Fabiola moderated a discussion between el Museo del Barrio’s Director Patrick Charpenel and Ignacio Gatica. The event concluded with a DJ set titled “La Joyería” by Venezuelan producer MPeach.

Read Fabiola’s blog post reflecting on her research and encounters in New York City.

Fabiola Talavera (Monterrey, México, 1995) is a Mexico City-based independent curator, writer, archivist, cultural producer with a formation in Art Histories & Studies. She’s a program curator, alongside Leah Whitman-Salkin, of Montez Press Radio’s Mexico City bi-monthly broadcasts. She has curated exhibitions in Mexico such as The struggle of being a God, Día Muñoz, NASAL; Homesick, JO-HS; Western Retreat, Akwetey Orraca-Tetteh, Karen Huber, among others. In her previous years, she coordinated the Juan José Gurrola Archive, and at Casa del Lago UNAM, she conformed the Poesía en Voz Alta Digital Archive and inaugurated the exhibition space Resquicio with Siempreviva by Alan Hernández. She is a regular writer for Elephant, Purple, Onda MX and OBRA magazine.

  • Walk with the Devil: Live Gathering, July 11, 2024. Photos courtesy of Fabiola Talavera.