Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO: Borrowed Earth

We do not control nature; we are merely a small part of it. Architecture mediates our existence on this planet and has the potential to root us more deeply in our environment. How, then, might we explore the delicate relationship between people, time, and place?

Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO: Borrowed Earth (2026), a new commission by Art Omi, embraces impermanence, participation, and the quiet transformation brought by time. Constructed from rammed earth—a technique rarely used in this region—the work is made from locally sourced soil. Its form is elemental: a composition of columns rising from the ground, at once architectural and inseparable from the landscape.

As the seasons shift and weather takes its toll, the columns will slowly erode, gradually blending back into the ground from which they came. In doing so, they make the passage of time visible, revealing the fragile bond between humans and nature. This is an architecture meant not to last, but to belong: to land, to change, and to the cycles of nature itself.

Celebrate the opening of Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO: Borrowed Earth in the Sculpture & Architecture Park at Art Omi on Saturday, October 24, 2026, 2–5 PM.

The opening will be celebrated with a live musical performance by Lita Vinueza at 3 PM. Presented in the open air alongside Bilbao’s work, Vinueza will respond to Borrowed Earth using custom-designed electronic instruments. 

Free. All ages. RSVP encouraged. Walk-ins always welcome.

Founded in 2004 in Mexico City, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO is an internationally recognized architecture practice known for its humanistic approach and its commitment to the social, cultural, and environmental impact of architecture. The studio develops projects of various scales and typologies, integrating research, design, and responsible construction to create spaces deeply connected to people and their contexts.  

The practice is grounded in the conviction that architecture must emerge from a sensitive understanding of ways of living, daily rituals, and the needs of each community. Through processes of research and dialogue, the studio aims for every project to contribute to strengthening local identity and improving the relationship between people and their environment.  

Under the leadership of Tatiana Bilbao, alongside partners Catia Bilbao, Juan Pablo Benlliure, Mariano Castillo, Alba Cortés, and Soledad Rodríguez, the studio operates as a collective practice that privileges collaboration and shared authorship. While Bilbao serves as the primary spokesperson for the firm's vision, each project is developed through a constant exchange of ideas and the diversity of perspectives that shape the team.  

This way of working is also reflected in the use of analogue tools—such as hand drawing, collage, and physical models—which foster open and inclusive processes. The studio understands architecture as a collective exercise of imagination and care, built together with the people for whom it is designed.

Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO: Borrowed Earth is curated by Julia van den Hout, Art Omi Senior Architecture Curator, with Guy Weltchek, Curatorial Assistant.

Principal: Tatiana Bilbao

Partners: Tatiana Bilbao, Catia Bilbao, Juan Pablo Benlliure, Mariano Castillo, Alba Cortés, Soledad Rodríguez

Project Director: Alba Cortés

Project Lead: Isaac Solis Rosas

Design Team: Lucila Pilgram, Ruth Zuñiga, Manuel Moncayo-Adams

Model workshop team: Victor Castañeda, Ángela Silva

Rammed earth consultant: Raíz Arquitectura – Karen Poulain

Installation Team: John Traynor, Rainier Bernhardt, Jacqueline Conley, Jesus Vio, Cam Greaves, Ossie Jon-Nwakalo, Joel Olzak, Julia Ham, Cassie Sappington

Major support for Art Omi is provided in part by the Francis J. Greenburger Family Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, Time Equities Inc., and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.