Desbordes is a space for practices that weave through disciplines and expand the boundaries of predefined fields.

Based in Mexico City—a place where overlapping temporalities, expressions, and epistemologies continually shape one another—the residencies support diverse forms of creation and inquiry across visual arts, music, poetry, curatorial research, education, and other hybrid practices. They offer small studios and flexible working environments that adapt to each resident’s process.

Inspired by the concept of desbordes—that which opens, propagates, crosses thresholds, and resists being held within a single frame (resonating with the Japanese notion of hirogaru 拡がる, meaning to expand or unfold)—the programs range from structured residencies to open-ended processes, giving artists, researchers, and curators the freedom to shape their stay according to their own rhythm and intentions. Support may take the form of editorial sessions, open studio formats, collaborative labs, or reflective dialogues with mentors, depending on each resident’s focus and the context of each open call.

The residencies maintain an active network of national and international collaborators in anthropology, history, curatorship, publishing, music, and related fields, offering participants opportunities for connection and critical exchange.

Desbordes welcome mid-career and established artists who, beyond deepening their own practice, are committed to contributing to artistic and social ecosystems through meaningful, situated engagement.