A Trajectory Dedicated to Contemporary Art
Our vision for Estudio C is rooted in more than thirty years of collaboration between Tania de la Cruz and Éric Carlos Bertrand, developed through collective projects, independent spaces, and shared creative experiences in Mexico, Canada, and Latin America.
During the 1980s and 1990s, we witnessed the emergence of a network of spaces dedicated to artistic creation and experimentation in Mexico City, including Regina 51, of which we were members, as well as La Panadería and La Quiñonera. These spaces were essential meeting points for artists, collective production, the exchange of ideas, and the exploration of alternative forms of organization and collaboration.
Our experience has also been shaped by our work with artist-run centres in Montreal and our participation in the collective We Are Not Speedy Gonzalez, which we co-founded. Through these experiences, we became familiar with independent organizational models that connect artistic creation with research, self-management, and the development of professional and cultural networks.
These experiences have led us to believe that networking and collaborative practices provide a fundamental platform for knowledge production and the development of new artistic possibilities. Collaboration is not merely a strategy for production or management; it is a way of generating ideas, sharing knowledge, and creating the conditions for artistic practices to evolve.
In 2016, this trajectory led to the creation of Cache Studio in Montreal, an initiative that subsequently expanded through Galerie Cache Cartier and Galerie C Belgo. These projects allowed us to deepen our knowledge of the various aspects of artistic production, exhibition organization, and collaboration with artists and other cultural practitioners.
Estudio C builds on this experience and brings it to Mérida, Yucatán. Our aim is to develop a platform that connects artistic creation, research, residencies, professional development, and institutional partnerships, adapting the knowledge gained throughout our trajectory to the specificities of the local context and the singularity of individual artistic practices.
Rather than reproducing existing structures, we seek to create conditions in which artists, independent spaces, galleries, universities, and institutions can share resources, knowledge, and experiences, strengthening an artistic community grounded in autonomy, exchange, and the continuity of creative processes.
Our Philosophy: Respecting Processes
We understand art as a form of research and knowledge production. Our aim is to create the conditions for each artist to develop their practice through their own questions, methodologies, rhythms, and relationship with their territory, while respecting the singularity and autonomy of each process.
We conceive of collaboration as a space for exchange and mutual enrichment, where experimentation, reflection, and creative freedom are fundamental. We accompany without directing and facilitate without imposing outcomes, recognizing that artistic creation does not always culminate in a work intended for public exhibition.
From this perspective, Estudio C brings together artistic accompaniment, residencies, professional development, production, audience engagement, and cultural dissemination to strengthen the autonomy and sustainability of artistic practices.
Director of Conceptual Development and Founder
Eric Carlos Bertrand
Artist · Writer · Curator · Cultural Manager
Éric Carlos Bertrand is a multidisciplinary artist, painter, sculptor, writer, curator, educator, and cultural manager with an international career. His artistic practice explores the relationships between image, language, history, and culture through a range of visual languages spanning painting, sculpture, and conceptual art.
His career has developed between Mexico and Canada, with connections to other international art contexts. Throughout his career, he has participated in solo and group exhibitions and has received artistic production and mobility grants from Canadian and Quebec institutions, as well as a Mexican government scholarship for his postgraduate studies.
Alongside his artistic practice, he has pursued sustained work in curating, teaching, translation, and the dissemination of contemporary art. In 2016, he founded Cache Studio, an independent platform dedicated to artistic creation, research, production, and dissemination. In 2021, he further developed Galerie Cache in Montreal, expanding his work into exhibition-making and artist support.
His practice brings together artistic creation, critical reflection, and the development of spaces for exchange, seeking to expand the possibilities for the production, circulation, and reception of contemporary art.
Co-director of conceptual development and co-founder
Tania de la Cruz
Artist · Educator · Researcher · Cultural Manager
Tania de la Cruz is a visual artist, educator, researcher, and cultural manager. Her artistic practice focuses primarily on three-dimensional practices, installation, and performance, through an inquiry that connects creative processes with material experimentation, space, and knowledge production.
Her career combines artistic production with more than twenty years of experience in visual arts education, research, and the development of educational and cultural projects.
She has developed an extensive academic career at higher education institutions, teaching subjects related to artistic practice, theory, art history, image analysis, and audiovisual media. Her teaching practice also encompasses the creation and design of undergraduate art curricula, as well as pedagogical methodologies that approach artistic practice as a process of research, critical thinking, and experimentation.
In the field of cultural management, she works on the conception, organization, and development of artistic, curatorial, and educational projects. Her approach emphasizes the importance of respecting each artist’s questions, methods, and working rhythms, fostering processes of accompaniment that support the development of autonomous practices and strengthen the conditions for their production and circulation.