[soumaya in drag]

all buildings have personalities by design. but who’s to say that buildings don’t choose how they express themselves? mexico city's museo soumaya is already meant to be seen. designed by fernando romero, the building is purposely placed as the center of attention in plaza carso, the plaza in the polanco neighborhood that romero created to serve the museum. moreover, the museum's unique shape and metallic glow comes from the structure's 16000 hexagonal aluminum tiles that slope and twist as if frozen in mid-transformation give soumaya enough balloons to cover itself with, however, and you’ll see a building amid a display of self-expression. its once monochromatic curves make way for a dazzling performance of color and movement in which the museum stretches upwards, flaunts its angles, and twists in its radiance. for a brief moment the museum presents itself as it wants to be seen: disguised in pink, or simply dressed in its true colors the series [soumaya in drag], shot in may of 2019, explores the concept of expression in architecture beyond the aesthetic purpose set forth by its designers; the idea that a structure ultimately decides what it is, and that it's willing to reveal itself to those who look closely enough