The Art of Encounter

In the gallery walls of ZSONAMACO, Mexico's leading contemporary art fair, thousands of curiosity-seeking visitors navigate between canvases and sculptures in what founder Zélika Garcia describes as "active dialogue." Increasingly, that dialogue extends beyond gallery walls into unexpected territories, connecting to a spirit that has defined Mexican culture for centuries. Garcia's recent involvement in The Art of Tequila, Assouline's newest title, represents more than a lateral move from art fair director to brand collaborator. It signals a broader consideration of where contemporary art lives, what qualifies as its proper vessel, and how its story is told.

When Garcia launched ZSONAMACO nearly two decades ago, Mexico was missing a platform that connected artists, galleries, and collectors. The fair filled that gap, becoming what she calls "a key meeting point within the Latin American cultural ecosystem." That same absence seems to have motivated her work with tequila. "A bottle becomes a charged surface where personal history, collective memory, and contemporary language intersect," she explains, describing artist creations that transform tequila packaging from ordinary containers into collectible pieces.