Artist-run spaces are galleries, studios and residency programmes that artists themselves founded and manage, and Art of NOMA’s venue directory tags three of them in Mexico City: Casa Equis, Factoría and Lagos. Only one of the three, Lagos, says so on its own website, so this guide separates what each space states about itself from what we have only seen in directories. Every address, hour and date below was checked on 24 October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Our venue directory tags three artist-run spaces: Casa Equis, Factoría and Lagos.
- Lagos calls itself “a self-managed organization run by artists for artists”; its Mexico City studios are at Laguna de Tamiahua 3, Anáhuac I Sección, and visits are by appointment only.
- Lagos accepts residency applications year-round for stays of one to three months, according to its programme page.
- Casa Equis (Dr. Enrique González Martínez 7A, Santa María la Ribera) grew out of an apartment in 2018, according to the Mexico City government’s venue page; its own website did not load when we checked.
- Factoría’s exhibition concept was founded in 2024 and does not describe itself as artist-run on the pages we read.
- Salón ACME, which calls itself “a platform created by artists for artists”, runs No. 14 from 4 to 8 February 2027 at Proyectos Públicos, General Prim 30-32.
What counts as an artist-run space here?
The label is used loosely, so we use it narrowly. In this guide a space is artist-run when its own website says that artists founded or manage it. That is a stricter test than a listing in a directory, including ours. Our venue directory has an Artist-run filter with three entries, and we checked each against the venue’s own pages before writing about it.
The test matters because several spaces in the city are independent without being artist-run. A commercial gallery can be small, young and independent, and still be run by a dealer. Our guide to emerging art galleries in Mexico City covers those, and the page What Is Emerging Art? sets out how we use that word.
If your goal is to discover emerging art in Mexico City, artist-run spaces are one door among several. Some of them work by appointment only, so plan before you travel.
Lagos in Anáhuac: residencies, studios and open studios
Lagos is the clearest case. Its website describes an artist-in-residence programme and studio rental space dedicated to the production, exhibition and development of contemporary art projects, and it states: “We are a self-managed organization run by artists for artists.” It has locations in Berlin, Oaxaca and Mexico City. Its about page adds that the visual artist Luis Carrera-Maul founded Lagos in 2018 at the Mexico City location, and that it expanded to Berlin in 2023 and to Oaxaca in 2025. According to the home page, its programme includes curatorial residencies, studio rentals, exhibitions, monthly open studios, educational programmes and community collaborations.
The Mexico City base is at Laguna de Tamiahua 3, in the Anáhuac I Sección neighbourhood, in the Miguel Hidalgo borough. The site says it occupies a semi-industrial complex from the middle of the twentieth century, close to the Historic Center and minutes from Polanco. Its visit page is direct about access: visits are by appointment only, and you contact the team in advance so that someone can welcome you.
For artists, the Mexico City programme offers residencies of one to three months, and the programme page says applications are accepted year-round. The documents requested are an updated portfolio with artistic CV, a project description, a motivation letter and social networks. Lagos also rents studios in Mexico City. Its studio-rental page lists two studios, between 44 and 59 square metres, with a minimum stay of one month, at MX$14,000 and MX$22,000 per month plus a refundable MX$5,000 deposit. Lagos notes that rates are subject to adjustment, so read the current page before you plan around them.
What can we confirm about Casa Equis and Factoría?
Casa Equis is at Dr. Enrique González Martínez 7A in Santa María la Ribera. The Mexico City government’s venue page describes it as combining an independent space for making art with a traditional gallery, with an artist residency, and says it grew in 2018 out of an apartment in the neighbourhood. It adds that the directors generally belong to the same generation as the artists who show there. Our own venue page says it was founded by the artists Diego Beyró and Carleti López. We could not check that against the space’s own site: the address casaequis.com, which the city page links, redirected to an address that did not load on 24 October. Until we can read the space’s own words, we call it an independent space with artist founders rather than claiming a label it does not state.
Factoría is at Rey Maxtla 188 in Azcapotzalco, and our directory gives its hours as Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00, with other times by appointment. It is an industrial building used for art and design shows, among them Galería Errante’s PRELUDE during Design Week México 2026. Galería Errante’s website describes Factoría de Nada as an exhibition concept founded in 2024 by Alessandra Migliano, Nadia Guitteau and Marion Friedmann, set in the old Zaga textile factory, as a platform for design and art. It does not describe Factoría as artist-run, so we treat that tag in our directory as unconfirmed.
Both entries show why a label needs a source. A visitor looking for places where artists decide the programme can rely on Lagos’s own statement. For Casa Equis and Factoría, the facts above are what the available pages support.
How does Salón ACME fit the picture?
Salón ACME is not a space but an event held during art week, and it describes itself in artist terms. Its about page says: “Salón ACME is a platform created by artists for artists.” The same page says it gives visibility, support and promotion to emerging creators in dialogue with established agents, in a curated event during art week in Mexico City. It names three creators: Base Proyectos, Archipiélago and Proyectos Públicos.
Its next edition, Salón ACME No. 14, runs from 4 to 8 February 2027, and the visit page gives the venue as Proyectos Públicos, General Prim 30-32, in Colonia Juárez. Our venue page for Proyectos Públicos and the Juárez gallery walk place that address among the neighbourhood’s galleries, which makes it easy to combine the fair with a gallery afternoon.
The fair also runs an open call for artists. The call page says it is now closed and that results will be announced on 17 December 2026. It lists a curatorial council of six people. If you are an artist, that is the date to watch for news.
How do you visit these spaces and apply?
The table sets out what each space publishes about location, access and its artist-run status. Where a space publishes no hours, the cell says so.
| Space | Address | Access as published | Artist-run? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lagos | Laguna de Tamiahua 3, Anáhuac I Sección | By appointment only | Yes, per its own site |
| Casa Equis | Dr. Enrique González Martínez 7A, Santa María la Ribera | Not published on pages we could read | Tagged in our directory; own site not readable |
| Factoría | Rey Maxtla 188, Azcapotzalco | Thu–Sun 11:00–18:00 and by appointment, per our directory | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Salón ACME (Proyectos Públicos) | General Prim 30-32, Colonia Juárez | 4–8 February 2027 | “Created by artists for artists” |
For a first visit, write ahead. Lagos asks you to arrange a time in advance, and Factoría accepts visits by appointment outside Thursday to Sunday. For Casa Equis, use the contact details on the city’s venue page or its social accounts, because the hours are not published on any page we could read. Our guide on how to visit a gallery show without feeling out of place covers what to ask when you arrive.
Artists looking for opportunities can start at the Lagos programme page and the Salón ACME open-call page. Our own open calls and residencies board lists only calls with a public deadline and an official page, and its first listings are still being verified.
Where else can you follow independent projects?
The directory also lists Aeromoto, at Venecia 23 in Colonia Juárez, which it describes as a non-profit contemporary art library and community space open to the public. We have no website for it to confirm that description, and it is not tagged artist-run, so we mention it as a place to ask about rather than a verified artist-run space.
If you want to see where emerging work is for sale, our works page shows every original with its price. Recolectar y cocinar con la Abuela by Nuria Oliva is an original oil painting, 97 × 90 cm, available today. The lowest price on the live catalogue today is MX$ 2,334, shown for a limited-edition print, and prices change, so check each work page.
Verified 24 October 2026 against Lagos’s own website (about, Mexico City, visit, studio-rental and programme pages), the Salón ACME website (about, visit and open-call pages), Galería Errante’s website (Factoría de Nada), the Mexico City government’s venue page for Casa Equis and Art of NOMA’s venue directory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Mexico City spaces are artist-run?
Art of NOMA’s venue directory tags Casa Equis, Factoría and Lagos as artist-run. Only Lagos states it on its own website: “a self-managed organization run by artists for artists”. Salón ACME also describes itself as a platform created by artists for artists.
How long are the residencies at Lagos in Mexico City?
The programme page lists one to three months and says applications are accepted year-round. Applicants send a portfolio with CV, a project description, a motivation letter and social networks.
When is the next Salón ACME?
Salón ACME No. 14 runs from 4 to 8 February 2027 at Proyectos Públicos, General Prim 30-32, in Colonia Juárez. Its open call is closed, and the fair says results will be announced on 17 December 2026.
Is Casa Equis artist-run?
Our directory tags it that way and says artists founded it in 2018. The Mexico City government’s venue page calls it an independent space, but we could not read the space’s own website, so we have not confirmed the label there.
