Mónica Mayer

An exhibition of her work "Si tiene dudas... pregunte: una exposición retrocolectiva de Mónica Mayer" (When in Doubt... Ask: Mónica Mayer's Artistic Project) was inaugurated at the Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) on February 6, 2016.

In October 2016, the Instituto de las Mujeres de la Ciudad de México (Women's Institute of Mexico City) awarded her the Omecíhuatl Medal for her "outstanding participation in education, arts, culture, and sports, which have inspired and impacted the development and empowerment of women".

She participated in the creation of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte del Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes de Mexico (National System of Artists for the National Funding for Mexican Culture and Arts) with the project De Archivos y Redes (From Archives and Networks) from 2012 to 2014, which was renewed for the period of 2015 to 2018.

Los ríos amputados. Juarez Autonomous University of Villahermosa (Tabasco (Mexico). June 5, 2009

In the 1998 publication 'Pinto mi Raya—A Brief Story of Almost 10 Years of Applied Conceptual Art Projects', Lerma and Mayer wrote: "This experience allowed us to detect some of the most serious problems in our art system, and little by little we started turning into a platform from which we could launch applied conceptual art projects in order to try to find solutions for them. In other words, we seek to lubricate the art system so it runs more smoothly. We also decided to become nomads."

She has performed both on her own and with Victor Lerma in Mexico and Japan, and has presented her work in various museums. The majority of her performances consist of social interventions designed for specific settings. In 1989, with Víctor Lerma, Mayer created the ongoing conceptual project, Pinto mi Raya, whose main function is a newspaper archive that specializes in contemporary art in Mexico. The project's objective is to stimulate the art system in Mexico by conducting various activities, workshops and performance interventions involving other practitioners such as El Balcón del CENIDIAP, De Crítico, artista y loco..., and El Mejor Amigo de los Museos. Pinto mi Raya has also hosted radio programmes such as "Pinto mi Raya: Donde las Artes Visuales Suenan” (ABCradio, 1999–2000) and has actively participated in various activist actions as part of the artistic community.

In 1983, with Maris Bustamante, she founded the first feminist art collective in Mexico, Polvo de Gallina Negra (Black Hen Powder). Mayer and Bustamante's work combined radical social criticism and humour, exemplified by the group's name: “Black Hen Powder – to protect us from the patriarchal magic which makes women disappear.” The group put on performances in the media and other various social interventions. That same year, she taught a workshop about "Women and Art" at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, which later lead to the creation of another feminist art collective, Tlacuilas y Retrateras.

Mónica Mayer (born March 16, 1954) is a feminist Mexican artist, activist, and art critic whose work includes performance, digital graphics, drawing, photography and art theory. As a conceptual artist, curator, art critic and art theorist she has been engaged in various forums and groups, and has organized workshops and collective movements. From 1988 to 2008, she was a columnist for Mexican newspaper, El Universal. She continues writing for various blogs.

Mayer was born in Mexico City in 1954, and trained there as a visual artist at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas. Her interest in feminism was sparked while studying at art school. She participated in the feminist movement in Mexico with the groups Movimiento Feminista and Colectivo de Cine Feminista. She went on to earn a master's degree in the Sociology of Art at Goddard College, United States, with a thesis entitled Feminist Art: An Effective Political Tool. From 1978 to 1980, Mayer participated in the Feminist Studio Workshop at the Woman's Building in Los Angeles, California.