MODO: Exploring Objects and the Stories They Tell
Museo del Objeto del Objeto (MODO), located in Mexico City's Roma Norte, offers a distinctive blend of art, design, and everyday objects in a stunning Art Nouveau mansion. This museum is more than a display of items—it's an invitation to reflect on how objects shape society, communication, and daily life. MODO encourages visitors to explore the deeper meanings behind consumption, advertising, and labor by focusing on overlooked objects.
The museum's collection challenges traditional notions of value. An old washing machine symbolizes industrial growth, reflecting how it reshaped household labor, especially for women. Vintage packaging and posters reveal how corporations influenced public taste and desire, providing an early glimpse of the mass consumerism that still exists today.
MODO's exhibitions quietly critique how capitalism turns useful objects into cultural artifacts and creates waste. Once-essential items, now relics, accentuate the system's constant cycle of consumption and disposal. The current "Nonsense" exhibition uses Dadaism and surrealism to break down the arbitrary value assigned to objects, encouraging visitors to rethink how society views worth.
Beyond the displays, MODO serves as a creative hub for the community. Its workshops and seminars engage visitors in discussions about design, communication, and the power of everyday objects. The rotating exhibitions covering diverse themes like Mexican graphic design and absurdity in daily life ensure that each visit offers something fresh and thought-provoking.
MODO is more than nostalgia; it's about sparking conversation about the forces shaping our world. By offering this perspective, MODO provides Mexico City with an artistic and intellectually engaging space, encouraging people to question how everyday objects influence their lives.