Full Statement:
Withdrawal from MASS Exhibition
By Haydee Alonso
I withdrew from the MASS exhibition following their response to concerns I raised in a detailed letter sent on August 7, 2025, regarding the 2025 Ni de aquí, ni de allá residency, a collaborative initiative between MASS Gallery (Austin, Texas) and Cobertizo (Jilotepec, Mexico).
In that letter, I outlined specific ways MASS’s handling of a reported incident fell short - including the absence of a fair process and the impact of being left open to implication without the opportunity to be heard. I asked for acknowledgment of this as a necessary step toward accountability. That acknowledgment never came.
MASS describes itself as a volunteer-run, democratic collective committed to “creative and social action,” collaboration, and centering BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists. Those commitments require showing up when it is difficult, listening when harm is named, and taking responsibility for the environment an organization creates.
In this case, those commitments were not upheld. I cannot align myself with an institution that speaks the language of equity and dialogue but does not act when those principles are tested.
My absence from this exhibition is intentional. It reflects a decision not to participate in an environment that avoids responsibility when it matters most. I believe this absence should be visible and understood as part of that decision.
Haydee Alonso
Full Statement:
Withdrawal from MASS Exhibition
By Haydee Alonso
I withdrew from the MASS exhibition following their response to concerns I raised in a detailed letter sent on August 7, 2025, regarding the 2025 Ni de aquí, ni de allá residency, a collaborative initiative between MASS Gallery (Austin, Texas) and Cobertizo (Jilotepec, Mexico).
In that letter, I outlined specific ways MASS’s handling of a reported incident fell short - including the absence of a fair process and the impact of being left open to implication without the opportunity to be heard. I asked for acknowledgment of this as a necessary step toward accountability. That acknowledgment never came.
MASS describes itself as a volunteer-run, democratic collective committed to “creative and social action,” collaboration, and centering BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists. Those commitments require showing up when it is difficult, listening when harm is named, and taking responsibility for the environment an organization creates.
In this case, those commitments were not upheld. I cannot align myself with an institution that speaks the language of equity and dialogue but does not act when those principles are tested.
My absence from this exhibition is intentional. It reflects a decision not to participate in an environment that avoids responsibility when it matters most. I believe this absence should be visible and understood as part of that decision.
Haydee Alonso
Full Statement:
Withdrawal from MASS Exhibition
By Haydee Alonso
I withdrew from the MASS exhibition following their response to concerns I raised in a detailed letter sent on August 7, 2025, regarding the 2025 Ni de aquí, ni de allá residency, a collaborative initiative between MASS Gallery (Austin, Texas) and Cobertizo (Jilotepec, Mexico).
In that letter, I outlined specific ways MASS’s handling of a reported incident fell short - including the absence of a fair process and the impact of being left open to implication without the opportunity to be heard. I asked for acknowledgment of this as a necessary step toward accountability. That acknowledgment never came.
MASS describes itself as a volunteer-run, democratic collective committed to “creative and social action,” collaboration, and centering BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists. Those commitments require showing up when it is difficult, listening when harm is named, and taking responsibility for the environment an organization creates.
In this case, those commitments were not upheld. I cannot align myself with an institution that speaks the language of equity and dialogue but does not act when those principles are tested.
My absence from this exhibition is intentional. It reflects a decision not to participate in an environment that avoids responsibility when it matters most. I believe this absence should be visible and understood as part of that decision.
Haydee Alonso