Image: National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago
‘Xochicago: Floating Gardens of the Chicago River and México’ at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago’s Xicágo Gallery examines the relationship between two waterway systems: the Chicago River and Xochimilco, an ancient settlement that is now a borough of Mexico City. The exhibition is on view through October 4, 2026.
Through historic, nostalgic and contemporary images and interpretations of both locations, the exhibition compares the chinampas built by the Mexica with floating gardens being installed along the Chicago River by Urban Rivers. The presentation considers how waterways can support plants, wildlife and human activity while also carrying the histories of the communities around them.
The exhibition’s title refers to the naming confluence of the two sites, linking “Xochi” from Xochimilco with Chicago. Its central comparison joins an ancient agricultural system in Mexico with a contemporary ecological initiative in Chicago. The museum describes the floating gardens as part of efforts to attract wildlife, plants and people back to the river, while also warning that new development and over-commercialization could return the waterway to the polluted, industrial conditions associated with its past.
Among the works shown are a detail of José Lozano’s ‘La sonámbula (The Sleepwalker),’ a 1998 serigraph from the museum’s Permanent Collection, and Nick Wesley’s ‘View from the Wild Mile,’ a 2021 digital photograph provided by Urban Rivers. Together, the works point to the exhibition’s combination of collection material and contemporary documentation connected to Chicago’s changing river environment.
‘Xochicago’ is curated by Rebecca D. Meyers in collaboration with Urban Rivers. The exhibition is supported by the Joyce Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, Allstate and the Chicago Park District.
The National Museum of Mexican Art, founded in 1982, presents Mexican art and culture from the Mexican community’s own point of view and voice. Its programming spans ancient to modern art and addresses cultural expression on both sides of the border. The museum is located at 1852 W. 19th Street in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and offers free admission. ‘Xochicago: Floating Gardens of the Chicago River and México’ remains on view in the Xicágo Gallery until October 4, 2026.
