Edith Farnsworth House and Gallery is excited to announce the opening of \u201cen caminos,\u201d a new exhibition by Chicago-based artist and craftsman Noel Mercado. <\/p>\n
As the first exhibition of the 2026\u201327 season, \u201cen caminos\u201d launches the two-year-long celebration of the Farnsworth House\u2019s 75th birthday and introduces the curatorial focus on Mexican Modernism. <\/p>\n
The public opening will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. March 21. Admission is free, but guests are asked to RSVP in advance. <\/p>\n
Developed in direct response to the historic interior of the Farnsworth House, \u201cen caminos\u201d introduces a new body of work in which Mercado repurposes and reupholsters selected furniture originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, according to a news release from Farsnworth House.<\/p>\n
By replacing the upholstery with textiles and leather sourced from his family\u2019s home state of Jalisco, Mexico, Mercado incorporates materials such as tablecloths, repurposed bags, belts, and leather remnants \u2013 objects shaped by domestic traditions of making, repair, and resourcefulness, according to the release.<\/p>\n
These materials \u201ccarry generational knowledge rooted in labor, migration, and inherited craft practices \u2013 forms of expertise often excluded from canonical narratives of modernist design,\u201d according to the release.<\/p>\n
Mercado inserts his own history \u2013 and the histories that accompany him \u2013 into the architectural conversation, \u201cgently expanding it to acknowledge parallel lineages long overlooked within modernism,\u201d according to the release.<\/p>\n
Curated in collaboration with Aliv\u00e9 Piliado, the exhibition extends into the Gallery, where visitors can explore Mercado\u2019s methods, process and original furniture designs. <\/p>\n
Through subtle but intentional interventions, Mercado redirects attention toward questions of cultural identity, migration and authorship, according to the release.<\/p>\n
\u201cen caminos\u201d offers a reflective dialogue between contemporary practice and modernist legacy. <\/p>\n