When the gallerists Boris Vervoordt and Nicholas Olney ventured to build a new art space on Mexico’s west coast, they had a designer in mind: Boris’s father, master of minimalism Axel Vervoordt. The senior Vervoordt, one of Belgium’s most celebrated contemporary artists, collaborated with Japanese architect Tatsuro Miki on the temple-like gallery called Meridiano, conceived in local stone to resemble an archaeological treasure.

The trapezoidal structure sits comfortably on the remote coastline outside Puerto Escondido and nods to the region’s ancient spiritual traditions. Each of the two main spaces was shaped by ‘sacred’ Mexican geometry, and each has a four-sided rooflight open to the elements, aligned with the cardinal directions. The movement of the sun creates shadows through the interiors, illustrating the passage of time and creating a dialogue with the works on display. Vervoordt and Miki used local wood for the rustic Paduke doors at the entrance.

This breezy oceanside strip of Oaxaca has become something of a cultural hub, with the art and architecture gallery Fundación Casa Wabi, designed by Tadao Ando, an easy walk away.

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