Sordo Madaleno sinks art gallery in Los Cabos

Architecture studio Sordo Madaleno has completed Arte Abierto Baja, a 180-square-meter open-air art gallery sunk four meters below ground level at Ánima Village in Los Cabos, Mexico. The subterranean space is specifically crafted to house large-scale sculptures and site-specific installations, contrasting with the surrounding public plazas and terracotta pavilions of the broader development above.

Visitors access the gallery via a 17-meter ramp descending from the plaza. The initial stretch is partially covered to compress the arrival experience before opening up at the base, where walls rise more than five meters while keeping the roof completely open to the sky. Fernando Sordo Madaleno describes this architectural sequence as a deliberate transition from compression to exposure, introducing the surrounding landscape only after reaching the bottom.

Materiality plays a key role in anchoring the structure to its desert context. The walls are finished in pigmented bush-hammered concrete, providing a coarse texture that catches the intense sunlight of Baja California Sur. This heavy, tactile surface echoes the arid terrain and rocky surroundings of Los Cabos, giving the gallery a distinct physical weight compared to the lighter architecture situated above ground.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"A shift from compression to exposure, with the landscape entering the room once visitors reach the bottom."

Fernando Sordo Madaleno

Arte Abierto Baja forms a distinct component of Sordo Madaleno's masterplan for Ánima Village, a six-hectare development structured around public squares and desert-friendly landscaping. Six terracotta pavilions and shaded pedestrian routes connect retail and open spaces, addressing a local climate where temperatures can peak at 36 degrees Celsius through strategic planting and natural cooling.