LIGA-Space for Architecture-DF, in its broadest sense, is an exhibit based program and venue whose main aim is to display mainly emerging Latin American architectural practices, and in doing so, serve as catalysts for discussion and information exchange. The exhibits are curated not to be a mere compilation of the visiting practice's architectural projects, but rather spatial and site specific installations based on their design ethos. The range of discussion achieved through these endeavors displays the wealth in approaches, concepts and interpretations that emerge out of a geographical construct that is in a perpetual state of evolution and transformation. Young architectural practices, through sharp analysis regarding our built environment, set the tone for a discussion that generates a qualitative change in the discipline.

LIGA 06: Frida Escobedo (1979, Mexico City, Mexico)Office founded in 2006 in Mexico City. 

Frida Escobedo holds a Bachelor degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, and a Masters degree in Art, Design and the Public Domain from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). In 2003 she established the architecture studio Perro Rojo with Alejandro Alarcon. In 2006 she founded her own practice. In 2008, she was selected for the Young Architects Forum organized by the Architectural League in New York. From 2007 to 2010 she was teaching design studio at Universidad Iberoamericana. Escobedo's work has been selected to be presented at the Mexican Pavilion for the Venice Biennale, and at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco.

LIGA 07: Izaskun Chinchilla

Izaskun Chinchilla graduated from the ETSAM in Madrid in 2001, the same year she founded also her professional practice. Although most of her projects are inspired by everyday life, some have had more unusual sources of inspiration and along the way she has become something of an expert on Chinese ceramics, carnivorous plants, crochet work, recycled paper and many other subjects thrown up by particular projects. Like Charles and Ray Eames, she believes that 'everything is architecture' and her body of work contains a large number of projects that are not directly related to architecture. For Izaskun Chinchilla, the belief that scientific and humanistic subjects can be separated into distinct areas of knowledge no longer makes any sense. She argues that multidisciplinary work has become a kind of compulsory practice for those concerned with contemporary and future directions in architecture. She has been teacher at Architectural Schools both in Spain (ETSAM, Universidad de Alicante, Institut d´Arquitectura Avancada de Cataluña) and abroad (Princeton, Columbia, Architecture Association, Bartlett, etc.) and lectured in more then 60 events worldwide.

LIGA 08: Al Borde (David Barragán, Pascual Gangotena, Marialuisa Borja, Esteban Benavides)
Office founded in 2007 in Quito, Ecuador.

Al Borde is an experimental collaborative practice focused on resolving urgencies with the material at hand, often with close participation of local communities. Amongst their main awards and recognitions are: Taller particular, Honourful Mention, 6th International Festival of Architecture EME3 Barcelona, Spain, 2011; Architecture Recognition "Arq. Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras", Colegio de Arquitectos de Celaya, México, 2010; Escuela Nueva Esperanza, Oficial Selection of the Panorama Iberoamericano de Obras, awarded First Prize at the VII BIAU 2010 Medellín, Colombia, 2010. Casa Entre Muros, 20+10+X Architecture Award, World Architecture Community, 2009; Casa Pentimento (with José María Sáez y David Barragán) Prize to best work from Young Architect, VI BIAU 2008 Lisbon, 2008, and National Award for Architecture, XV BAQ 2006 Quito, 2006.

LIGA 09: Eduardo Castillo (1972, Santiago, Chile).
Office founded in 2005 in Santiago de Chile, Chile.

Born in 1972 in Chile, Eduardo Castillo is formed as a carpenter by his father, before becoming an architect. He studied architecture at the Universidad Católica de Chile, where he graduated in  1996 and obtained his title in 2000. He realized his PHD in Architecture and Urban Studies in 2005. His works have been published and exposed in Germany, China, Spain, England, Italy, Japan and Mexico, amongst others. He widely participated in events and international conferences organized by Universities and Architectural Leagues. He is actually working together with the architect Smiljan Radic, and he is teaching a studio on Construction Technology at the Architectural School of the University of Talca.

LIGA 10: Luis Aldrete Arquitectos (1977, Guadalajara, Mexico)
Office founded in 2006 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Luis Aldrete is an architect from Guadalajara, Jalisco with a Degree in Architecture from the ITESO and a Degree in Advanced Studies of the Universidad Politecnica de Cataluña. He is currently teaching at the ITESO and established his architectural practice as a space of reflection on spatial atmospheres, urban transformations, experiments with materials and artisanal production methods. His work has been exposed in Mexico, Peru, Hungary and Spain and is published in national and international magazines.

Curatorial Staff LIGA: PRODUCTORA + Ruth Estevez

PRODUCTORA is an architecture practice founded in 2006 in Mexico City that brings together architects from several countries: Abel Perles (1972, Argentina), Carlos Bedoya (1973, Mexico), Victor Jaime (1978, Mexico) and Wonne Ickx (1974, Belgium). PRODUCTORA develops its ideas by means of intuitive explorations, rather than on the basis of an established methodology. PRODUCTORA is developing a variety of projects in Mexico and abroad (Asia, South America ) ranging from single family dwellings to office or public buildings. The office has been teaching and lecturing on national and international events. They were selected for the Young Architect's Forum organized by the Architectural League in New York (2007) and presented their work on the 2nd architectural Biennale in Beijing (2006) and the Venice Biennale in Italy (2008, 1012). They won the International Competition for the CAF Headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela in collaboration with Lucio Muniain (2009). They build an installation in the National Museum of Art in Beijing (China/2009) and were showcased at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (2010) and at Storefront for Art & Architecture, NYC in the exhibition Aesthetics --Anesthetics (2012).

Ruth Estevez was born in Spain and currently lives in Mexico City. She was the Chief Curator at the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil from 2007-2011. Ruth received a BFA from the Public University of the Basque Country, a MA in Art History from the Mexican National Autonomous University (UNAM), and a MA in Museography from the European Institute of Design in Madrid. She completed her first Phd in Fine Arts at the Complutense University in Madrid and is currently working on her thesis for her PhD in Art History at UNAM. Ruth has curated individual exhibitions for artists such as Fernando Ortega, Gabriel Acevedo, Mark Manders, Kendell Geers and Guy Ben Ner, among others. She has also organized several group exhibitions: El horizonte del topo/The Mole´s Horizon. Palais de Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium, One Foot Apart. Galeria Leme, Sao Paolo, Brazil and co-curated: Proyecto Civico at the Centro Cultural Tijuana, Frontier: A Sketch for the Creation of a Future Society, Chiapas, Mexico, among others. She currently write for Art Nexus and Flash Art.

LIGA, Space for Architecture, Mexico City is a platform for exhibitions, conferences, and workshops based in Mexico City. Founded in January 2011, its aim is to promote the exchange of ideas and research around contemporary architectural practices. The space is focused on contemporary Latin American architecture; this, however, has less to do with the vindication of a cultural identity and more with the possibility of revising the dichotomies and existing processes in emerging practices. There is a set program for its exhibitions, which take place every three months. Parallel to the regularly scheduled exhibits, LIGA Interludios is a program where different agents from a multiplicity of disciplines are invited to deliver lectures, workshops, and screenings.