Minerva Cuevas: Social Ecology
André Mesquita, Julieta Gonzalez, Lisette Lagnado, Minerva Cuevas, T. J. Demos
Editorial: MASP, São Paulo, 202
hardcover, 18x25cm, 224p, 121 [ images], bilingual [portuguese/english]
This catalog accompanies the exhibition of Minerva Cuevas at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP), the first solo show of the artist in a Brazilian museum. Born in Mexico City, Cuevas has developed an artistic practice that explores the social, economic, and political dimensions of ecology, questioning how power dynamics shape the relationships between humans and non-humans. The book’s subtitle, Social Ecology, refers to the idea defended by anarchist philosopher Murray Bookchin (1921–2006) that the environmental crisis is inseparable from human hierarchies and inequalities and that only a free and cooperative society can restore ecological balance. This perspective runs through Cuevas’s work, which offers a critique of neoliberalism and addresses debates over resource extraction, the forced displacement of populations, and the environmental devastation caused by industry worldwide. This publication reproduces 121 images and includes three new critical essays on the artist. It is an indispensable volume for those interested in contemporary Latin American art, especially in connection with environmental issues and public interventions.