Mexican students exhibit works at international art fair

Among paintings, sculptures, and photographs, six students from Tec de Monterrey shared space with emerging artists at BADA, an international art fair that brought together more than 200 creators in this edition.

The Tec’s presence at BADA México was no coincidence. The six exhibitors were winners of the 2025 VIBRART Visual Arts competition, the Tec’s art and culture festival, which received more than 672 entries from high school, undergraduate, and graduate students that year.

For Miroslava Pérez, leader of strategic projects for Art and Culture at the Tec, the experience at the international art fair represents one of VIBRART’s central objectives: bring student talent into real-world, professional contexts.

“What we want is for kids not only to be winners but also to see that what they do in real life can have a big impact".

Students showcase their artwork

In addition to their award-winning works at VIBRART 2025, the students incorporated additional pieces to Tec de Monterrey’s stand 133 at BADA, offering visitors a more complete view of their artistic exploration.

1. David Hernández

• Monterrey Campus
• Studying for a degree in Communication

His work combines science and art using images captured with an electron microscope, a common technique in engineering that he reinterprets through visual communication.

“We see science and art practically coming together here. These are tools that are normally used for papers, and here we have given them an artistic use.”

He won VIBRART with his work Echoes of the Fly, created using video technology.

2. Ximena Aguilar

• Campus Querétaro
• Studying for a degree in Industrial Design

Her works explore childhood, nostalgia, and the creation of personal mythologies through fantastical figures. She came to the international fair with her work Child’s Mythology, which stood out at VIBRART.

Regarding exhibiting at BADA, she acknowledges that her nerves were eased: “You realize that there’s something worthwhile in your paintings.”

3. Emilia Sibilla García

• Monterrey Campus
• Studying for a degree in Digital Art and Animation

Her works portray human feelings between order and chaos, the material and the immaterial. With contemplative figures, tears, and flowers, Emilia conceives art as a space to inhabit emotion. 

For her, the fair opens up new possibilities: “Being able to sell my work would allow me to experiment more and would open many doors.”

She came to BADA with the artwork No hay amor como la manipulación de tu dolor (There’s No Love Like the Manipulation of Your Pain), which won an award at VIBRART.

4. Karla Isabella Ruiz

• State of Mexico

With Memorioso (Memorable), a digital drawing inspired by traditional painting techniques, Karla found early confirmation of her artistic calling.

For her, participating in BADA, even before starting her studies, is a clear sign that art could also be a possible career path.

5. Rodrigo Mondragón

• Querétaro Campus
• Studying for a degree in Digital Art (emphasis on Digital animation, modeling, and sculpting)

Rodrigo presented Hematófago (Bloodsucker), a digital sculpture created using modeling, rendering, and character design. 

His work is part of a larger narrative project and reflects how the Tec’s technical training can be translated into pieces with aesthetic and narrative power. “I wanted it to feel heavy and solid even though it was digital. I wanted it to convey strength and mystery.”

He said that being at BADA directly connects his academic work with the creative industry.

6. Michelle Valenzuela

• Sonora Norte Campus
• Studying for a degree in International Business

Michelle won VIBRART with an oil painting dedicated to her grandmother, María del Rosario. Her work celebrates memory, family, and the technical challenge of figurative art.

In this exhibition at BADA, she added two more pieces that expand her artistic exploration: a portrait inspired by a member of the musical group ENHYPEN, in which she experiments with the movement of water and wet clothing.

She was also part of a group work that involved the challenge of depicting seven people on a single large-format canvas, which took almost two years to complete.

For her, participating in BADA means daring to trust her artistic voice, even though her academic training is outside the arts.

“Every piece is a new challenge. Here, it was learning how to paint with pastels and work with many textures.” Her advice to other students is straightforward: “Be bold. Even if you’re afraid, go for it.”

Art is also part of the Tec

This was the first time the Tec participated with a stand at BADA, a fair focused on emerging artists and characterized by its intermediary-free model. 

“This fair focuses on emerging artists, where students can enjoy the experience, network, and lose their fear of moving around in these spaces.”

For the institution, this presence also sends a clear message: “We want people to see that the Tec isn’t just about engineering. We’re interested in people, art, and culture. Being a Tec student means being many things at once.”

“Being a Tec student isn’t just about being an engineer or an accountant; you’re an artist, a creator, a leader. There’s a place here for all of that.”

In addition, the students “are already talking about commissions, how to sell, how to get around. This group will become a very strong support network for the future.”

Beyond exhibiting their works, the students experienced the entire process of participating in an international fair: packaging, shipping, curation, installation, dialogue with other artists, and direct contact with the public. 

“It wasn’t just a matter of arriving and hanging up a painting. It was about understanding how an art fair works from the inside out,” explains the leader of strategic projects for Art and Culture at the Tec.

“Being a Tec student isn’t just about being an engineer or an accountant; you’re an artist, a creator, a leader. There’s a place here for all of that” – Miroslava Pérez

In fact, during VIBRART 2025, students participated in a training workshop focused on real processes in the art world.

This prior learning allowed students to arrive at BADA with a solid foundation and a broader understanding of what it means to exhibit professionally. “It wasn’t just a matter of arriving and hanging up a painting. They experienced the entire process.”

The quality of the work was also a determining factor. “I see the stand, I see the work and the quality, and it’s absolutely on par with any other stand, even those of artists with years of experience.”

VIBRART is Tec de Monterrey’s art and culture festival that seeks to promote the creative talent of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students through a national competition.

The goal, according to the Tec’s Art and Culture team, is for VIBRART to be not just a competition, but a platform that connects student work with professional settings, both inside and outside the institution.

About BADA México 2026

BADA México is an international contemporary art fair focused on emerging artists and recognized for its intermediary-free model, which promotes direct contact between creators and buyers.

The 2026 edition, the sixth in Mexico and the 20th internationally, brought together more than 200 artists in Jardines del Campo Marte, with the support of private banks and a proposal that seeks to democratize access to art and collecting, with affordable prices and a friendly atmosphere.

For Tec de Monterrey, participating in BADA represented a strategic opportunity. It was the first time that students from the institution had their own stand at this fair, sharing space with artists from different backgrounds and countries and experiencing firsthand the professional dynamics of the art circuit.

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