By Josemaría Moreno González
With the 19th anniversary of the La Aurora Art and Design Center Factory, our itinerary passes through this historic site of our city. Originally founded as a textile factory, for more than nine decades it was an essential source of work for the town. La Aurora now stands out as the largest and most important art complex in San Miguel de Allende.
Pioneering in its vision, its creators understood the aesthetic and recreational value of bringing together different artistic talents in one place. Although the corridors of La Aurora can be walked in no particular order, we recommend five stops not to be missed.
First, at the main entrance is Galería Intersección, an always innovative space that mixes established work (such as those by Santiago Corral and Rodrigo de la Sierra), with avant-garde art. Leonardo Díaz, a young painter for this exhibition, mixes the dreamlike with a stark beauty. “Inaccuracies of non-immediate history”, presents a concept that shreds memory and questions today’s reality. In addition to this exhibition, the gallery has
its permanent collection that attracts hundreds of collectors to San Miguel.
Our second stop leaves the main corridor and is on the left. The Calderoni gallery is one of the pioneers behind the original idea of La Aurora. Her gallery always shows her most recent work, which consists of a game between the floral and the abstract, between the geometric line and the incipient form. Her work is highly recognized, and her collectors take pride in her extensive career.
Third, right in front of the cafe, we find the studio of Mario Oliva. This anniversary the space was renovated and renamed The Studio. Now it is more in keeping with its nature, more of a workshop than a gallery. Mario tells us The Studio will give us a surprise of artistic and historical relevance, which Aurora and the town of San Miguel need.
The fourth stop should be Galería Manuk, a clean and elegant space.
Its current exhibition, “Puntos de vista” includes the work of young artists with a strong aesthetic. They include Lourdes Rivera, Susana Turino, Michelle Sitton, Maru Stahl and Sabina Solot.
Finally, for a relaxing stop, be sure to visit El Granpa&Son, the restaurant at the entrance to La Aurora. It has an enviable terrace and some of the best hamburgers in town.
Take the opportunity to visit this historic place, La Fabrica. Walk through its corridors and enjoy the aesthetics that dozens of curators have carefully prepared. The galleries are open every day from 10am to 6pm and on Sundays from 10am to 5pm.
