Fundación Casa Wabi

Amazing! Very cool to see one of Tada Ando’s work in Mexico. Highly recommend if you like art, architecture, design. You must schedule a visit ahead of time.

Casa Wabi Foundation, an initiative of Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, commissioned renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando to construct a beach house. This house serves as a residence for traveling artists-in-residence, who collaborate with the local community to develop their works. Guided tours of the house and the residence’s works take about two hours. Another tour takes visitors to the vast garden, which features architectural and sculpture installations by some of the world’s most renowned artists. Be prepared to bring water, sunscreen, and a hat, as most of the tour takes place outdoors. Admission costs approximately $30. Highly recommended !

Overall we loved visiting Casa Wabi. It was a nice addition to our stay, and I think we got lucky with the temporary exhibition. But reading through other comments, it is very expensive for what it is. And and we also thought it was short, because the second leg of the tour you have to do by yourself (they give you a map and tell you how to walk around, but we DO NOT recommend this, we felt like we were being played).

Amazing Space with Great guided tour and possibility to wander around in the garden. A perfect mix between art architecture and nature.

Amazing house with incredible architecture and great art exhibits. The gardens are stunning! Never thought a chicken coop could be so beautifully designed. The staff was super friendly and really enjoyed the tour! All of Bosco’s work is fantastic. Left feeling very inspired, not only by the art, the wabi philosophy and architecture, but also by the wonderful work they do with the local community. A truly beautiful initiative! Cannot wait to visit again.

a ethereal oasis in the middle of the oaxacan coast, designed by tadao ando. it’s most certainly worth the drive out of Puerto Escondido, to tour their grounds. I would avoid coming from 12-3 as it’s incredibly hot under the sun. The tour takes about an hour in which the guide explains some of the events the foundation hosts, as well as the designed and significance of the building. you are not allowed to visit specific areas like the infinity pool, as those are for residents only. understandable but it was a bit disappointing considering the drive from Puerto and the $600 peso donation fee. You should buy your tickets in advance, to avoid waiting for about an hour. Also the area has limited service so it’s hard to pay by card so either purchase in advance or bring cash.

Amazing place! Highly recommend the visit if you are in Puerto Escondido. The location is about 50 minutes by car from Punta Zicatela, so if you are in that area, plan ahead of time to get a driver or taxi to take you. The cost to get in is 30 Euros (a bit pricy). You have to schedule your visit through their website, otherwise you can’t visit the foundation. So, make sure to make your reservation ahead of time to not waste a trip there. Once you arrive, the tour guide will greet you and ask you to wait for everyone to arrive. The tour is guided and you have to be with the tour guide at all times while visiting the main building. They allow you to explore the spaces and take pictures. Once the tour is done, they let you wander freely through the gardens (not the main building). They have a store with souvenirs inside the foundation. There are plenty of bathrooms, too.

This tour left me feeling very conflicted. First, the price is incredibly high (600 pesos, $30 USD). This may not seem expensive to many tourists - but for comparison, entry to CDMX's Museum of Modern Art is 25 pesos ($1.50) and Museo Nacional de Anthropologia is 70 pesos ($3.50); both take a full day to tour, and have free public entry on Sundays. Casa Wabi's fee is inaccessible to locals, and they do not offer free days or discounted fare. This definitely sets a tone indicative of their relationship with their local community. They were also *very* displeased to take payment by card (which was surprising, as they're obviously catering to a particular type of tourist). Second, the tour lasted about 1.5 hours, which mostly involved walking very quickly across the extensive grounds. Both the building and property are beautiful, but besides the permanent installations of Bosco Sodi (the property's founding artist) the work of others was not prominent - or at least not appropriately attributed (with the exception of one featured installation, by artist Claudia Compte *see pics - it's gorgeous). Our tour guide seemed very knowledgeable of the property, but more interested in getting the tour over with than providing any sort of engaging experience. He did answer questions, if asked directly - but otherwise rattled off the basics of information and then set off for the next spot. We spent less than five minutes in the room with a group exhibition, which was not enough time to even snap photos of work for later review. It may have just been a bad day, but for the price, this was a real disappointment. The property is incredible, though you will only be taken to see a small portion of it. The residential and studio spaces are off-limits, which is a shame (but understandable). That said, what you can see of the architecture is gorgeous. The design is quite flawless, as far as creating a stable and lasting structure, with functional passive cooling and incredible airflow. The concrete structure is comfortable, beautiful, spacious, and well centered in its environment - you feel the connection to nature. The natural landscape is beautiful, and relatively undisturbed by the facility. I do find it curious that architect Tadao Ando has never visited the finished site (per our guide). They position themselves as supporting the local arts community, however besides teaching workshops for children, I did not see much evidence of this (and those I chatted with in the local community had very mixed responses). On closer examination, their residency programs are offered by invitation only (one cannot apply); and the invitation process appears quite exclusive. As a lover of art and architecture, this property was worth a visit, and I appreciate the extensive labor and aesthetic care apparent. But overall, this felt far more like a rich artist's vanity project than an arts organization focused on giving back to its local community. Take that for what you will, but it made me deeply uncomfortable.