Pablo Helguera is an artist and an educator born in Mexico City, “el DF” (District Federal); he grew up with classical music and immersed in the culture and art that abound in its streets.

El DF is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, reflecting pre-Columbian, colonial, and contemporary Mexico, all piled one on top of another, vying for attention and prominence. La calle Donceles, (Donceles Street) is folded into the historic center of the city and is known for hiding mysteries and secrets in the millions of books living throughout its many bookstores. Donceles is a place where anyone can go and lose him or herself in timeless voyages and worlds of words. The books that come and go, like people, speak to their respective time— events in the world, the social and political order, art, fashion, philosophies, and more that together encapsulate a national and cultural identity.

When Helguera moved to New York City, he was taken aback by the scarcity of Spanish language bookstores in the city. How could it be that in a nation with more than 38 million Spanish speakers, and that in New York City, one of the biggest and most diverse cities in the nation with almost 2 and a half million LatinX, there was such a lack of books in Spanish? This inspired Helguera to propose “Librería Donceles” as a unique art installation that simultaneously addresses this scarcity, looks at the “book” as form and object, and also explores matters of identity.

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