Minerva Cuevas (Mexico City, 1975) 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. Pursuing an archaeology of the present, Cuevas often reworks and appropriates logos, advertisements, and slogans from major corporations to examine issues of ownership and to allow us to visualize the major economic forces of capitalism.

The 42 works presented in this exhibition collectively articulate the notion of “social ecology,” a concept formulated by the anarchist philosopher Murray Bookchin (1921–2006), which lends its name to the show. For Bookchin, the environmental crisis is inseparable from human hierarchies and inequalities; 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.      

One of Cuevas’ most recognized projects included in this exhibition is Mejor Vida Corp. [Better Life Corp.] (1998–present), a non-profit corporation created by the artist to—as its slogan states—provide a “human interface” and connect us with a structure of public interventions and the distribution of free products and services. This initiative subverts systems of value—corporate, commercial, ethical, social, and cultural—, and suggests forms of redistribution, exchange and what the artist calls “micro-sabotage.”     Other works in the exhibition address the petroleum industry’s history and its impact on the territory and non-human lives. Many of these works, including paintings and sculptures, employ chapopote [tar]—a petroleum derivative—evoking both the substance’s use in pre-Hispanic ceremonies and the scars of extractivism, revealing that ecology is not separate from the social realm, but rather a site from which diverse social struggles and collective actions emerge.    

Minerva Cuevas: Social Ecology is curated by André Mesquita, Curator, MASP    

The exhibition is part of the museum’s 2025 program dedicated to Histories of ecology.