1968, Mexico City // Sofía Táboas investigates natural and man-made spaces, the way they are constructed and transformed, conceived and perceived. This interest is evident in the materials she uses for her sculptures and installations: live or artificial plants, mosaics and pool equipment, construction materials, plastic, light bulbs, and fire, among others. Her work creates a threshold, a boundary between elements that may be dissimilar or even irreconcilable, serving to reinvent the frontiers between public and private, inside and outside. Táboas skillfully manipulates space to create passable structures and contexts in which materials can be interpreted in new terms. Despite the formal sobriety that characterizes her work, it is capable of creating habitats, such as floating gardens or underwater scenes, exploring new protozoan lives, and proposing exercises in perception and movement. Influenced by the currents of Arte Povera and Neoconcretism, Táboas' practice can be thought of as an archaeology of the future, in which the use of common materials closes the gap that separates us from what is outside, from a distant future, and encloses us in the familiar, in the here and now.
During her residency at Hotel El Ganzo, Sofía Táboas transformed one of the hotel’s walls into an evolving surface of color, time, and experimentation. Through a site-specific intervention, Táboas used water as a medium to transfer pigments from paper onto the wall, allowing layers, accidents, and gestures to accumulate into a living composition shaped by both intention and chance.Her process unfolded in real time, inviting guests and visitors to witness the artwork as an act of transformation rather than a fixed object. Each mark revealed traces of time and movement, creating a visual dialogue between permanence and impermanence—an idea deeply connected to El Ganzo’s ever-changing artistic landscape. The residency became an exploration of process, materiality, and discovery, turning the wall into a shifting horizon crossed by stories, surprises, and moments of collective observation.
As part of her residency at Hotel El Ganzo, Sofía Táboas shared her artistic process with the community through a workshop at La Playa Centro Comunitario, inviting children to explore the transformative possibilities of water, color, and time.Known for her experimental approach to materials, Táboas uses water as a medium to transfer pigments from paper onto surfaces, allowing layers, accidents, and gestures to accumulate into compositions that evolve organically. Inspired by this process, the workshop encouraged participants to think beyond traditional painting techniques and discover how natural elements can become active collaborators in the creative process.Working with pigments, paper, and water, the children observed how colors shifted, merged, and transformed over time, learning that art is not always about control or immediate results, but also about patience, observation, and embracing unexpected outcomes. Through the experience, they developed a deeper understanding of materiality, experimentation, and the beauty of change.As part of the Impact Project program, the workshop fostered creativity while encouraging young participants to see the natural world not only as inspiration, but as a partner in the act of making. By connecting artistic practice with curiosity and environmental awareness, the project highlighted how simple elements can become powerful tools for expression, learning, and imagination.
