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Slow Art Day 2025 in Mexico City: A Citywide First

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In 2025, Mexico City hosted its first city-wide Slow Art Day – and what may be the largest city-wide in the world – with 35 participating venues, coordinated by art writer and cultural organizer Constanza Ontiveros Valdés.

Ontiveros Valdés organized an unexpectedly wide range of participants, from established museums and galleries to alternative and emerging cultural spaces across the city.

The venues offered a rich mix of programming, including yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, workshops, panel discussions, and multidisciplinary artistic happenings. She noted that the accessibility and inclusiveness of Slow Art Day encouraged participation across diverse spaces, all eager to explore slow looking in ways that felt authentic to their communities.

We received reports from seven of the 35. Below are those highlights.

Galería Oscar Román

Galería Oscar Román featured an artist-led conversation titled “Sombras del Pintor” (Shadows of the Painter) with artist Saúl Kaminer, followed by a guided visit to his exhibition “La Tierra en el Cielo” (The Earth in the Sky). Kaminer shared insights into his creative process and the narratives behind his work, inviting participants to engage slowly through conversation and close observation. The session encouraged reflection on the relationship between art and nature, with visitors spending extended time discussing individual works.

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Arte Abierto
Reported by: Guadalupe Salcedo, Communications

Arte Abierto‘s Public Programs Team designed a Slow Art Day experience around the exhibition long last happy by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. Participants engaged in contemplative observation of the large format sculptures the sun and the moon (2022), followed by individual and group body activations inspired by dance and performance. The program invited participants to explore the idea of opposing forces through both stillness and body movement. Adults and children took part, and the event received significant public and media engagement.


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kurimanzutto

Host: Constanza Ontiveros Valdés, Art Writer and Cultural Projects Coordinator
Venue contact: Julia Villaseñor, Communications and Media Director

At kurimanzutto, participants were introduced to Slow Art Day through breathing and relaxation exercises before engaging in close looking with works by Haegue Yang from the exhibition Arcane Abstractions. The group explored intricate paper collages from the Mesmerizing Mesh series and interacted physically with the sculptural installation Mesmerizing Votive Pagoda Lantern. The session concluded with a hands-on activity in which participants created visual responses to their observations and shared reflections.


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Alejandra Topete Gallery

Natalia Martinez Aanaya, Communications Manager shared that Alejandra Topete Gallery participated with Between Threads and Stories, featuring works by Jason Kriegler and Claribel Calderius. The program included individual meditation sessions throughout the day and an empowering roundtable discussion led by Maria Ortiz, Cultural Mediator. Visitors were encouraged to form personal connections with the artworks through guided dialogue and slow observation.

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Naranjo 141 Gallery

Naranjo 141 gathered participants to look slowly at five selected works from their current exhibition. The session began with a brief introduction to Slow Art Day and the gallery’s residency program. Visitors then spent six to seven minutes in silent observation with each of five selected works:

  • Lily Alice Baker, Mothers’ Meeting (2024)
  • Colleen Herman, Blood Bloom in a Blue Field (2024)
  • Lee Maxey, Face the Front (2024)
  • Kataria Riesing, Holster (2024)
  • Pauline Shaw, Blackout (2025)

After slow looking, participants came together for a facilitated group discussion, sharing observations and personal responses over light refreshments. The session concluded with informal conversation and continued engagement with the exhibition.

Lee Maxey, Face the Front (2024)
Lily Alice Baker, Mothers’ Meeting (2024)

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Tinta Naranja

Host: Tinta Naranja
Contact: Mark Jerusalmi

Tinta Naranja focused on close observation of graphic design and visual culture. Participants explored original materials related to the Mexico 1968 Olympic design system, discussing the origins and historical context of the typography and imagery. The session concluded with a participatory activity in which attendees designed their own names using Olympic-inspired typographic forms.


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Zona de Riesgo Art

Zona de Riesgo Art hosted a free evening program that combined slow looking, guided meditation, sound art, and collective reflection. The event opened with a brief introduction, then featured two guided meditative experiences led by artist Mónica Martz M.

The first, Realm of the Devas, combined guided meditation with sound art by Bruno Bresani and the projection of two visual works by Mónica Martz M.

After a short pause, Mónica Martz M. led a second meditation that explored The Human Realm, accompanied by sound art from Mercedes Balard and Montserrat Coltello, alongside projected works by Bruno Bresani.

Following the meditations, participants gathered for an open conversation, sharing sensations, images, and reflections that emerged during the experience. The evening concluded with expressions of gratitude among artists and attendees, highlighting the value of creating spaces for stillness, contemplation, and shared presence.


Check out the below video and more on their website featuring their Slow Art Day event and see their event Instagram post here.

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Together, these seven reports represent just a portion of the 35 venues that participated in Mexico City’s first citywide Slow Art Day. The range of formats—artist talks, guided observation, movement-based practices, meditation, and slow making—demonstrates how Slow Art Day can scale across a major global city while remaining grounded in local artistic practice. Check out a great article summarizing the day (in Spanish).

We thank Constanza Ontiveros Valdés for her leadership and all participating venues, artists, facilitators, and visitors for making this inaugural citywide Slow Art Day possible. We look forward to seeing what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

Mindfulness and Slow Looking at MAAT in Lisbon

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For their first Slow Art Day 2025, the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) in Lisbon, Portugal participated with a guided slow-looking session held within the exhibition Transe by Rui Moreira, whose work is known for its meditative atmosphere. The event featured these 6 works:

  1. Mindfulness – “I’m a giant lost in the woods”
  2. A Noite (O Telepata)
  3. A máquina de emaranhar paisagens VII
  4. Nossa Senhora do Aborto I
  5. Telepata I
  6. Eclipse I
Capturado com OldRoll Classic M.

The session was led by Mário J. Rodrigues, a psychologist and certified mindfulness teacher, who opened with a brief mindfulness exercise. Participants then looked slowly at each work for ten minutes. The session concluded with a group conversation, allowing participants to share observations and reflect on their emotional and sensory responses.

The event was promoted via a reel on Instagram.

MAAT also holds monthly art and meditation sessions, and you can check out their programming on their website.

We thank Joana Simões Henriques, Head of Public Programmes at MAAT, for organizing this Slow Art Day experience, and look forward to seeing what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram

Carol Rossi Hosts Community Slow Looking Experience at the de Young Museum in San Francisco

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For Slow Art Day 2025, yoga-based movement instructor Carol Rossi of Lobey Movement returned to Slow Art Day – she was a pioneer who helped launch the movement back in 2010 – and hosted her own slow-looking session at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, California. Drawing from her background in yoga and mindfulness, Rossi designed a self-guided Slow Art Day experience.

In preparation for the day, Rossi created and shared a dedicated Slow Art Day webpage that outlined simple viewing tips and a short guide to the artworks she selected. Her materials encouraged participants to spend extended time with each work, notice physical details and emotional responses, and resist the urge to move quickly. Rather than formal facilitation, the structure supported personal pacing and reflection, allowing participants to engage with the museum in a focused yet flexible way.

Rossi documented and reflected on the experience through LinkedIn and Instagram, sharing photographs, excerpts from her viewing guide, and personal observations about hosting Slow Art Day. These posts are great practical examples for others interested in creating their own Slow Art Day experiences to follow. Her approach shows how hosting can begin with clear intentions, simple prompts, and a willingness to invite others to slow down together.

At Slow Art Day HQ, we actively encourage this kind of individual-led design. Slow Art Day is not limited to institutions; anyone can host a slow-looking experience, whether as a yoga instructor, educator, designer, or community member. Resources like Carol Rossi’s website and posts offer concrete inspiration for those considering hosting their own event, much like other community-driven Slow Art Day efforts we have seen in recent years.

We thank Carol Rossi for her pioneering support of Slow Art Day, and for returning to work with us again. We look forward to seeing what she comes up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

Meditation and Slow Making at Gothenburg Museum of Art

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The Gothenburg Museum of Art in Gothenburg, Sweden, participated in Slow Art Day 2025 by offering two structured activities for adults and children. The program combined guided meditation, slow looking in the galleries, and hands-on making in the studio.

The group gathered in front of Oracle, a sculpture by Norwegian artist Jone Kvie, on view in the exhibition Apocalypse: From Last Judgement to Climate Threat.

Photo by Linda Noreen.

For adult participants, the museum hosted a guided meditation led by Pernilla Ljungkvist, artist and yoga teacher, around the sculpture. Through stillness and focused attention, participants were invited to engage with the sculpture more deliberately.

Participants practicing yoga. Photo by Linda Noreen.

For children ages 6–12, the museum offered a two-part workshop. The first part took place in the museum’s collection galleries, where participants practiced slow-looking exercises and completed a drawing activity based on careful observation.

The group then moved to the Museum Studio, where a selection of objects was presented. Participants chose one or more objects to reinterpret by painting with watercolors, drawing with colored pens, or shaping forms in clay. The emphasis throughout was on slowing down, observing closely, and working deliberately. Across both activities, the shared goal was to encourage sustained attention and mindful engagement through observation, reflection, and making.

Photo by Jonna Kihlsten.
Photo by Jonna Kihlsten.
Photo by Jonna Kihlsten.

We thank Jonna Kihlsten, Art Educator, and the Gothenburg Museum of Art team for designing inclusive Slow Art Day experiences, as well as Pernilla Ljungkvist for leading the meditation session. We look forward to seeing what Gothenburg comes up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Follow Gothenburg Museum of Art on Facebook and Instagram

Mindfulness and Slow Looking at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation

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For their second Slow Art Day, the B&E Goulandris Foundation in Athens, Greece, invited all visitors to explore selected works from its permanent Collection and to take part in one or more of their three specially designed mindfulness activities.

On April 5th, 2025 all visitors were welcomed with a special printed slow looking guide (available in both English and Greek) at the Museum’s Reception Desk. This included information and instructions on how to practice slow looking, allowing them to fully engage with four carefully selected works from the permanent Collection:

  • “Laughing Man” by Camille Claudel [on the first floor]
  • “The Traveller” by Igor Mitoraj [on the second floor]
  • “Maria Callas no. 4” by Julian Schnabel [on the third floor]
  • “Untitled” by Alexis Akrithakis [on the fourth floor]

Visitors were encouraged to keep and reuse this guide during future museum visits to explore even more works from the Collection in a similar immersive way. 

“Laughing Man” by Camille Claudel
“The Traveller” by Igor Mitoraj
“Maria Callas no. 4” by Julian Schnabel
“Untitled” by Alexis Akrithakis

On the same day, art historian, art educator and mindfulness instructor Lydia Petropoulou led three mindfulness activities. The morning mindfulness workshop “I See, I Hear, I Feel, I Paint“ was designed for parents and children aged 6-12. Two mindfulness sessions designed exclusively for adults were then held in the afternoon. Titled “Mindfulness at the Museum“, they took place in the temporary exhibitions gallery where the exhibition “Catch Me” by Nicholas Kontaxis was on display.

What a great design for the day. More museums might decide to imitate what the B&E Goulandris Foundation did here.

At Slow Art Day HQ, we certainly appreciate integrating mindfulness as well as offering activities for both children and adults – and we are excited to see what the B&E Goulandris Foundation come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Jessica Jane, Phyl, Ashley, and Johanna

P.S. Check out B&E Goulandris Foundation on their Facebook and Instagram.

Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Hosts First Slow Art Day with Forest Bathing and Qigong

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For their first Slow Art Day, the Freer Gallery of Art, part of the Smithsonian Asian Art Museum in Washington, D.C., hosted a day-long celebration focused on slowing the mind, body, and spirit.

Visitors were invited to participate in a series of immersive activities held in the Freer’s galleries and courtyard, designed to deepen observation and foster mindfulness through art and nature. The day offered both guided and self-guided experiences, welcoming adults and families alike.

Featured activities included:

  • Guided Slow Looking sessions in Gallery 5, focusing on Japanese screens (11:30 a.m. family session; 1:30 p.m. adults-only session)
  • Forest Bathing mindfulness walks in the courtyard led by naturalist and certified forest therapy guide Ana Ka’ahanui from Capital Nature (1 p.m. family session; 2 p.m. adults-only session)
  • Qigong practice in the courtyard, or Gallery 17 in case of rain (12–1 p.m.)
  • Self-Guided Slow Looking with sketching, writing, and conversational prompts available to encourage personal exploration at one’s own pace
A group of people doing yoga in an art gallery.
Image courtesy of Create Calm

Each session offered participants an opportunity to slow down, open their senses, and form a deeper, more personal connection with the art and environment around them.

Throughout the day, participants could be seen sketching quietly before the intricate screens, breathing mindfully in the courtyard, and moving gracefully through Qigong sequences that mirrored the flow of nature. The museum’s thoughtful integration of art, nature, and mindfulness—including the leadership of Ana Ka’ahanui in the forest bathing sessions—beautifully embodied the spirit of Slow Art Day.

We at Slow Art Day HQ love how the Freer Gallery of Art created such a great mix of events and wish we had been there to participate. We can’t wait to see what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. You can learn more about the Freer Gallery’s events and exhibits by visiting their website. You can also follow them on:

Meditation and Slow Art at Moderna Museet Malmö

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For their second year participating in Slow Art Day, Moderna Museet Malmö once again hosted a deeply reflective and engaging event that beautifully combined meditation with slow looking.

In the vibrant exhibition Vivian Suter – I Am Godzilla, participants gathered for a guided meditation session led by Ana María Bermeo, an artist, museologist, and certified meditation teacher. Through simple breathing and mindfulness exercises, Bermeo encouraged participants to slow their pace, immerse themselves in Suter’s rich visual world, and reconnect with their own inner experiences.

Slow looking and meditation surrounded by expressive, immersive works in the Vivian Suter exhibition.
(Photo: Susanne Lindblad/Moderna Museet Malmö)

No prior experience with meditation was required — only a willingness to pause, breathe, and look slowly.

Attendees reported embracing the moment of silence and reflection, letting go of performance and expectation, and allowing themselves to experience both the art and their sensory impressions in a deeper, more contemplative way.

Participants meditating amidst the colorful canvases of the Vivian Suter exhibition at Moderna Museet Malmö. (Photo: Susanne Lindblad/Moderna Museet Malmö)

The bold, colorful canvases of Vivian Suter’s exhibition created a powerful backdrop for the session. For us at Slow Art Day HQ, it is particularly striking to witness participants seated quietly in a circle around these vibrant works, each deeply absorbed in silent meditation and reflection.

We are so grateful to Moderna Museet Malmö and to host Susanne Lindblad for continuing to be a valued part of the Slow Art Day movement. We can’t wait to see what they create for Slow Art Day 2026!

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. You can follow Moderna Museet Malmö on:

Meditation and Frozen Paint in Gothenburg

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For their 5th Slow Art Day, the Gothenburg Museum of Art in Gothenburg, Sweden, hosted two events:

  • A guided meditation with artist and yoga instructor Pernilla Ljungqvist in front of the artwork “Höstafton, Nordingrå” by Helmer Osslund (1866 – 1938) – adults and teens were invited to join this one.
  • Slow looking and drawing workshop consisting of two parts: one in the Museum collection where they practiced slow looking exercises, and another in the Museum studio where they created their own artwork – this was a children’s workshop.
Slow Art Day participants in front of “Höstafton, Nordingrå” by Helmer Osslund (1866 – 1938). Photographer: Linda Noreen. Photo courtsey of Gothenburg Museum of Art.
“Höstafton, Nordingrå” by Helmer Osslund (1866 – 1938). Photographer: Hossein Sehat Lou. Photo courtsey of Gothenburg Museum of Art.

For the first activity, Pernilla, the meditation instructor, invited participants to look slowly at the artwork “Höstafton, Nordingrå.” Next, they relaxed into a comfortable position on a mat in front of the work as Pernilla guided them through simple motions and exercises while looking slowly at the painting.

Slow Art Day participants meditating in front of “Höstafton, Nordingrå” by Helmer Osslund (1866 – 1938). Photographer: Linda Noreen. Photo courtsey of Gothenburg Museum of Art.

During the children’s workshop, the kids looked at three artworks using different slow looking techniques focused on noticing new details in each. During the second half of the session, they were invited to paint with frozen colors on watercolor paper (again, this was done in the museum studio). The goal was to use a tactile material, which could activate several senses and emotions *and* in which the concept of time was present in the material itself. Frozen paint to illustrate time and slowness – how cool!

Slow Art Day workshop participant in the act of painting. Photographer: Jonna Kihlsten.
Slow Art Day workshop supplies: frozen paint. Photographer: Jonna Kihlsten.
Slow Art Day workshop participant in front of their artwork. Photographer: Jonna Kihlsten.

At Slow Art Day HQ we love the idea of using frozen paint in a workshop studio for kids (and hey – us adults would enjoy that too) while running a guided meditation for adults.

For readers not familiar with Gothenburg, it is the second largest city in Sweden situated on the west coast near the Kattegat. The city was built on marshy land and the layout of the city was inspired by Dutch cities like Amsterdam.

The Gothenburg Museum itself is the third largest in Sweden and hosts a collection of 19th century Nordic art as well as a range of modern, contemporary, and older works.

We appreciate the museum’s decision both to offer different events for kids and adults and the way they designed each of those sessions. We eagerly look forward to whatever they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.

-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. Stay up to date with events at Gothenburg Museum of Art via their Facebook or Instagram.


Mindfulness and Music in Copenhagen

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For their third Slow Art Day, the Frederiksbergmuseerne in Frederiksberg – a neighborhood of Copenhagen, hosted a slow looking event at Bakkehuset (The Hill House). The Bakkehuset was a gathering place for prominent figures in the Danish Golden Age of art, literature, and philosophy including writers like Hans Christian Andersen. Today, it is one of the four Frederiksbergmuseerne and open to the public.

Bakkehuset interior. Photo: Stuart McIntyre.
Bakkehuset interior. Photo: Stuart McIntyre.

For Slow Art Day, Bakkehuset aimed to use the calming atmosphere of the historical interior of the house as a starting point for slow looking. They began their event by taking visitors on a tour and inviting them to immerse themselves in the atmosphere, and imagine what it might have been like to live, talk, and hang out in the house 200 years ago.

During the tour, they also introduced mindfulness techniques to help participants slow down and sharpen their attention.

Consistent with their theme of immersion, the tour ended with asking participants to listen to Chopin’s raindrop prelude in the garden room of the house. Amazing. We love the idea of weaving music, mindfulness, and slow looking. And, as we write this, we imagine ourselves sitting in Bakkehuset, listening to Chopin and looking slowly at art.

We are already excited for whatever the Frederiksbergsmuseerne come up with for Slow Art Day in 2025.

– Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. To find out more about Frederiksbergsmuseerne you can visit their Facebook or Instagram.

Meditation at Moderna Museet in Malmö

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For their second Slow Art Day, Moderna Museet in Malmö, Sweden, invited participants to a meditation session within the exhibition “Monica Sjöö – The Great Cosmic Mother.”

Meditation session at Moderna Museet Malmö for Slow Art Day 2024. Photo: Modena Museet

On April 13, 2024, Ana María Bermeo, a certified meditation teacher, artist and museologist, prepared the gallery with floor-cushions and chairs, and the limited spaces quickly filled up with enthusiastic slow lookers.

Bermeo aimed to help participants feel more present in the moment – with the art and themselves – and free themselves from the demands of immediacy. No prior knowledge of slow looking or meditation was needed. She emphasized that slowing down with the art was a way to “get in touch with your inner world,” for which the exhibition of Sjöö’s art was well suited.

For readers not familiar with Sjöö’s work, below is an excerpt from the Exhibition Website (Monica Sjöö: The Great Cosmic Mother):

Monica Sjöö (1938-2005) was an influential feminist artist whose work is part of the alternative spirituality that emerged during the 1970s in opposition to the patriarchy, traditions, and institutional religion. Many of her paintings refer to British ancient cult sites, such as Avebury, and areas that Monica Sjöö made spiritual pilgrimages to and became inspired by.

Monica Sjöö linked many of her ideas to The Great Mother, a figure that is found in many cultures throughout history. For Sjöö, the essence of The Great Mother was present in all phases of life, as an experience that imbues both nature and being. She saw the oppression inflicted on women and minorities, and the exploitation of green areas and the ravaging of nature, as violence against The Great Mother. In this way, her commitment to the women’s movement, environmentalism and her spiritual convictions were related.

At Slow Art Day HQ, we are inspired by the ways in which Sjöö’s background and art highlight important issues, including the socio-cultural position of women, environmental concerns, and spirituality (with and without organized religion).

We can’t wait to see what Moderna Museet in Malmö comes up with for their third Slow Art Day in 2025.

-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. And given that one of us is Swedish (Johanna) it’s always wonderful to see how much Sweden’s art world has embraced Slow Art Day.