Meridiano art gallery
Expanding the possibilities of the traditional gallery model, Meridiano offers an
open framework for long-form, site-specific, and experimental exhibitions of new
work by artists working internationally and across disciplines. Founded by Nicholas Olney and Boris Vervoordt on the principles of dialogue and exchange, Meridiano’s contemporary art programming will be realized over two exhibitions per year.
Meridiano is situated on a remote one kilometer stretch of the Oaxacan coast to the west of the port town and beaches of Puerto Escondido, where the space joins a community of other arts destinations in the immediate locale. The gallery space is aligned to the four cardinal directions: the Pacific Ocean to the south, the mountain range to the north, and the border between land and sea striking straight from due east to due west. The area’s manifestation of the elements — earth, wind, fire, water — has long influenced both local and international artists, and acts as a fertile locale in which to encourage artists to embrace the basic principles of materiality.
Beyond its spectacular natural beauty, Meridiano’s remote location offers artists
an opportunity to experiment with the imaginative benefits engendered by distance from the commercial art centers in major cities where many now work. Presenting an exhibition at Meridiano might involve evolving a practice to utilize commonly- used local materials, or staging new work informed by immersion in the natural landscapes of Oaxaca.
The physical structure of the gallery was conceived by architect Tatsuro Miki
and Axel Vervoordt. Bringing form to several aesthetic and artistic traditions,
the minimalist architecture of Meridiano can be likened to a cloister or atrium. Accessed by a secluded pathway, the gallery’s footprint consists of an open square leading to a covered rectangular room whose only light source is an oculus open to the sun and stars.
The breach in the enclosure invites an isolated fragment of sky, changing in its composition and illumination from minute to minute, to converse with the works on view. Similarly, the aperture allows for the incoming breeze to amplify the space’s sensorial experience, contrasting the coolness of the interior with the
sun outside. The structure of the building, a trapezoidal prism, employs simple architectural forms drawn from the tenets of sacred geometry. The resulting space offers a timeless vessel for contemplation, where visitors are invited to experience not only the artwork but the changing conditions in the environment that focus perception on the passage of time.
With sensitivity to one of the most biodiverse areas in Mexico, the project has partnered with local organizations and community members for expertise in sustainability and to maintain the integrity of the local vegetation and wildlife. Realized primarily in stone and natural lime plaster, the organic construction is formed using exclusively local materials.
The facade’s stones are sourced from nearby quarries and hand-laid; the 10-foot entrance door is constructed from slabs of Paduke, a native tropical wood.
