minerva cuevas
1975, Mexico City
Minerva Cuevas finds the raw material for her work in the analysis of the notions of value, exchange, and property inherent to the capitalist system and its social consequence, and the latent possibility for rebellion that exists within everyday life.
Her work encompasses a wide range of media—installation, video, muralism, sculpture, and public intervention—which she uses to investigate the politics that permeate social and economic ties.
By generating aesthetic excercises with objects and images of everyday consumption, Cuevas encourages us to rethink the role corporations play in the exploitation of natural resources and in the conditions of social inequality around the world.
Through her work, she explores familiar visual references and questions the ideas present in our political imaginary to locate channels of social communication. In her interdisciplinary projects, elements of anthropology, ecology, and marketing converge.
Cuevas studied at Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas (ENAP) of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (1993-1996). She founded Mejor Vida Corp. and joined Irational.org in 1998. She created the International Understanding Foundation [IUF] in 2016.
She has been an artist resident in the following programs: Berliner Künstlerprogramm at Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), Germany, 2003; Media Art of the Foundation of Lower Saxony at the Edith-Russ-Haus, Germany, 2003; Delfina Foundation, London, 2001; and The Banff Centre for Arts, Canada, 1998.
Minerva Cuevas lives and works in Mexico City
not impressed by civilization, 2005
acrylic on wall mural, and a color video transferred to dvd
78.74 x 157.48 in.
13 min 20 sec
from serie hidrocarburos, 2007
objects covered in chapopote (eight model figures, diving helmet, mobile telephone, hemp reel, wooden stick, two plastic figures, stone, ceramic figure, pump)
variable dimensions
detail
from serie hidrocarburos, 2007
research documentation, magnifying glasses, four asphalt fragments, two chapopote fragments with sea incrustations, one fragment of concrete, objects covered in chapopote, seven pieces of solid chapopote, solidified driping of chapopote
table: 32.28 x 78.74 x 78.74 in.
detail
serie hidrocarburos, 2007
four piled oil tanks, dvd projection, vintage didactic poster covered in chapopote, three oil containers covered in chapopote, six pieces of street asphalt, and painted wooden stick and research documentation (book, photographs, newspaper and magazine cuttings), magnifying glasses, asphalt pieces, glass container, wooden stick and objects covered in chapopote on wooden table
variable dimensions
installation view of minerva cuevas, museo de la ciudad de méxico, 2012
seascape (de la serie de hidrocarburos), 2012
oil on compressed wood board covered in chapopote
40.16 x 36.42 in.
installation view of minerva cuevas, museo de la ciudad de méxico, 2012
overseas, 2015
oil on compressed wood board dipped in chapopote
20.47 x 19.29 x .98 in.
horizon II, 2016
oil on canvas dipped in chapopote
21.65 x 27.95 x 1.97 in.
dodgem, 2002
documentation of a public intervention where the artists placed labels of oil companies on the go-cars at a children's fair in mexico city
dodgem, 2002
documentation of a public intervention where the artists placed labels of oil companies on the go-cars at a children's fair in mexico city
dodgem, 2002
documentation of a public intervention where the artists placed labels of oil companies on the go-cars at a children's fair in mexico city
del montte, 2003
acrylic paint, research plan printed on paper, 100 re-labeled tomato cans
installation view at museo de la ciudad de méxico, mexico city, 2012
del montte - la boite de l'imperialisme, 2004
acrylic paint on wall and 120 relabeled red tomato sauce cans
157.48 x 110.24 in
installation view at casa del lago juan josé arreola-unam, mexico city, 2006
america, 2006
acrylic paint on wall
57.48 x 118.11 x 5.51 in.
installation view of mexico inside out: themes in art since 1990, modern art museum of forth worth, texas, 2014
égalité, 2004
acrylic paint on wall
157.48 x 102.36 in.
égalité, 2004
acrylic paint on wall, 1,080 water bottles with altered label
variable dimensions
detail
égalité, 2004
acrylic paint on wall, 1,080 water bottles with altered label
variable dimensions
detail
donald mcronald (mexico), 2006
two channel video transferred to dvd, documentation and costume
video: left: 15 min 57 sec. right: 12 min 49 sec
installation view of minerva cuevas, museo de la ciudad de méxico, 2012
donald mcronald (paris), 2006
single channel color video transferred to dvd
10 min 23 sec
bioprospection (national state), 2003
acrylic paint on wall (or canvas), table with a salad fruit
57.48 x 62.6 in.
feast, 2015
metallic table, plastic bones, various objects
43.31 x 94.49 x 57.09 in. aprox.
installation view of feast and famine: minerva cuevas, kurimanzutto, mexico city, 2015
bitter sweet - hershey's, 2015
acrylic on canvas
159.84 x 85.04 in.
to rebel, 2015
toblerone cardboard case
4.72 x 30.91 x 4.72 in.
habana, 2000
photograph documentation of poster
20 x 33 in.
habana, 2000
photograph documentation of poster
20 x 33 in.
fine lands, 2018
acrylic paint on wall
variable dimensions
installation view of fine lands, dallas museum of art, texas, 2018
fine lands, 2018
acrylic paint on wall
variable dimensions
installation view of fine lands, dallas museum of art, texas, 2018
fine lands, 2018
acrylic paint on wall
variable dimensions
installation view of fine lands, dallas museum of art, texas, 2018
terra primitiva, 2006
acrylic on wall, halogen lamp
590.55 in. long
installation view at the 27th sao paulo biennial: how to live together, 2006
terra primitiva, 2006
acrylic on wall, halogen lamp
590.55 in. long
installation view at the 27th sao paulo biennial: how to live together, 2006
terra primitiva, 2006
acrylic on wall, halogen lamp
590.55 in. long
installation view at the 27th sao paulo biennial: how to live together, 2006
crossing the río bravo, 2010
documentation of the action at the río bravo
crossing the río bravo, 2010
documentation of the action at the río bravo
crossing the río bravo, 2010
action, string, lime, water, brush, metallic bucket, historical documents, postcards, map, petrified wood, petrified dinosaur bone, tire piece, pavement paint, rocks, compass, flowers
variable dimensions
installation view of resisting the present, musée d'art moderne de la ville de paris, 2012
like me, 2007
magic lantern projection, magic lantern and glass slide circa 1900 lit with fiber optic
magic lantern: 15.35 x 11.42 x 28.35 in.
landings, 2008
16 mm. film
14 min
installation view of minerva cuevas, museo de la ciudad de méxico, 2012
from the series heaven in a rage, 2012
acrylic on plywood
installation view of love is colder than capital, kunsthaus bregenz, 2013
social entomology, 2006-2007
5 microscope projectors with specimen slides, 6 tables with research material, magic lantern slides, postcards, publications, vintage insecticide spray pumps, magnifying glass, microscope and insects.
variable dimensions
installation view of minerva cuevas, van abbemuseum, eindhoven, the netherlands, 2008
social entomology, 2006-2007
5 microscope projectors with specimen slides, 6 tables with research material, magic lantern slides, postcards, publications, vintage insecticide spray pumps, magnifying glass, microscope and insects.
variable dimensions
installation view of minerva cuevas, van abbemuseum, eindhoven, the netherlands, 2008
concierto para lavapiés, 2003
color video transferred to dvd
3 min 20 sec
still image
installation view of no room to play, daad berlin, 2019
weaker lower slower, 2019
painted steel
variable dimensions
zukunft serie, 2019
9 digital photography prints, ink
variable dimensions
overseas, 2006
set of eleven banners
31.5 x 39.37 in. each
installation view of reconstrucción, minerva cuevas, casa del lago juan josé arreola-unam, mexico city, 2007
s.coop (limited edition), 2009
one wooden box, one s.coop coin, twelve black and white photographs, facsimiles, leaflets, postcards and a cd with images of the project
wooden box: 2.17 x 9.57 x 7.09 in.
detail
s·coop (project), 2009
five wooden showcases, ice cream, 200 coins exchanged in the peticoat lane market area, photographs, vintge cooperative tokens, posters, leaflets
installation view at whitechapel gallery, london, 2009
iuf (international understanding foundation) / (stiftung für internationale verständigung), 2016
mixed media. composition of the anthem: viola kramer.
variable dimensions
iuf (international understanding foundation) / (stiftung für internationale verständigung), 2016
mixed media. composition of the anthem: viola kramer.
variable dimensions
detail
societal studies - extinction, 2010
584 "national geographic" magazines, 1 spanish art book, 12 art books, 1 caption label, metal exhibitor, 2 color photographs, 380 postcards, 1 portfolio with magazine cuttings
variable dimensions
installation view
economy of the imaginary, 2006
5 channel video installation with sound, transferred to dvd, english subtitles
2 min each
a drought of the blue, 2013
video, color, sound
9 min 48 sec
installation view of disidencia, mishkin gallery, new york, 2019
drunker, 1995
video transferred to dvd
1 hr 5 min
installation view of minerva cuevas, museo de la ciudad de méxico, mexico city, 2012
disidencia v 2.0, 2008-2010
single-channel hdv projection with sound,color
25 min 43 sec
the poor man, the rich man and the mosquito, 2007
dvd
4 min 10 sec
installation view of minerva cuevas, on society, mc kunst gallery, los angeles, 2007
mejor vida corp, 1998-2012
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view de minerva cuevas, museo de la ciudad de méxico, 2012
mejor vida corp (student card), 1984-2012
mejor vida corp, 1998-2012
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, museo rufino tamayo, 2000
how long does it take to get to nato?, 2001
billboard
nuclear winter, 2004
acrylic paint on wall
mural: 98.43 x 118.11 in.
installation view of billboard, norway, 2004
state, 2007
hanging announcement
variable dimensions
paro general, 2017
impresión en lienzo
720 x 1290 cm
banderas, 2012
reed cart with 144 black & red strike flags
variable dimensions
the discovery of invisible nature, 2019
acrylic paint on wall
variable dimensions
Some of her most important solo exhibitions are: In Gods We Trust, kurimanzutto, New York, NY (2023); Game Over, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2022); Dark Matter, Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego (ICA), CA (2022); Migratory, Rubin Center, El Paso, TX (2022); No Room To Play, Daadgalerie, Berlin (2019); Disidencia, The Mishkin Gallery, New York, NY (2019); Dissidência, Galpão Video Brasil, São Paulo (2018); Fine Lands, Dallas Museum of Art, TX (2017); Feast and Famine, kurimanzutto, Mexico City (2015); Minerva Cuevas, Museo de la Ciudad de México, Mexico City (2012); Landings, Cornerhouse, Manchester, England (2011); SCOOP, Whitechapel Gallery, London (2010); Minerva Cuevas, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (2008); Phenomena, Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland (2007); On Society, MC Kunst, Los Angeles, CA (2007); Égalité 2007, Le Grand Café - Centre D'art Contemporain, Saint-Nazaire, France (2007); Reconstrucción, Casa del Lago, Mexico City (2006); Schwarzfahrer Are My Heroes, Daadgalerie, Berlin (2004); MVC Biotec, Secession, Vienna, Austria (2001); Mejor Vida Corp., Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2000); and M.V.C. El Despacho, Mexico City (1998).
A selection of group exhibitions include: RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology, organized by Barbican Centre, London (2023), traveled to FoMU, Antwerp, Belgium (2024); A Story of a Merchant, kurimanzutto, Mexico City (2023); This Land, The Contemporary Austin, TX (2023); Futuro suspendido, presente continuo, Centro Cultural de España en México, Mexico City (2023); Raising Flags, Museum in Progress, Austria (2023); TODOS JUNTOS (All Together), kurimanzutto, New York (2022); Witch Hunt, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Los Angeles, CA (2021); Soft Power, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), CA (2019); Down and to the Left: Reflections on Mexico in the NAFTA Era, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA (2017); Unsettled, The Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, TX (2017); Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today, South London Gallery (SLG) London (2016), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY (2014); We Call It Ludwig, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany (2016); United States of Latin America, MOCAD Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, MI (2015); Food: dal cucchiaio al mondo, MAXXI Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome (2015); Love Is Colder Than Capital, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (2013); Resisting the Present, Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2011) and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2012); Elles, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010); The Exotic Journey Ends, Foksal Gallery, Warsaw, Poland (2006); Populism, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2005); Hardcore, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2003); Exchange Rates of Bodies and Values, Kunst Werke, Berlin and PS1, New York NY (2022); Dream Machines, Hayward Gallery, London (2000); Democracy!, Royal College of Art, London (2000); Cambio, Chelsea, New York NY (1996); ¿Ummagumma? Especies de Indeterminación, Expoarte Guadalajara, Mexico (1995).
She has participated in the following biennials: Seoul Mediacity Biennale, South Korea (2020); Prospect 4 New Orleans, USA (2017); 6th Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, United Kingdom (2010); 6th Berlin Biennale, Germany (2010); 9e Biennale de Lyon, France (2007); 6a Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre, Brazil (2007); 27a Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil (2006); Sharjah Biennial 7, United Arab Emirates (2005); Glasgow International Festival, United Kingdom (2005); 14th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2004); 2nd Tirana International Contemporary Art Biannual, Albania (2005); 8. Istanbul Bienali, Turkey (2003); 4th Austrian Triennial on Photography, Graz, Austria (2003) and 24th Biennial of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia (2001).
ica san diego presents minerva cuevas dark matter
To see how Minerva Cuevas dips into the commercial past of chocolate for her Feast and Famine installation view the video at art21.
"El tiempo en las cosas" in the Amparo Museum in Puebla presents as part of its permanent Contemporary Art Collection, the work of Damián Ortega, Gabriel Orozco, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Daniel Guzmán, Dr. Lakra, Carlos Amorales, Eduardo Abaroa, Sofia Táboas, Iñaki Bonillas, Mariana Castillo Deball and Minerva Cuevas.
Carlos Amorales, Gabriel Orozco, Damián Ortega, and Minerva Cuevas are participating in the exhibition "cien del MUAC".
Siembra's flexible and porous ecosystem expands during ZⓈONAMACO 2021 to welcome a multiplicity of voices from the community.
We are thrilled to be a part of this new gallery-led initiative - an online community of 50+ galleries dedicated to art from the Global South and its diaspora.
Join artists Pio Abad and Minerva Cuevas as they discuss their artistic practices and Abad's murals commission for the Brent Biennial.
My art guides interviewed Minerva Cuevas about her participation in Siembra/Sowing at kurimanzutto Mexico City with the exhibition The story of a mountain, the history of a country.
Listen to the interview where Minerva Cuevas talks about her piece Entre los Pájaros, which is part of #Playtime, a project by Violeta Horcacitas in Casa del Lago.
For her first solo exhibition in New York, artist Minerva Cuevas presents a body of video work that makes concise connections between the consequences of dominant economic ideologies and urgent, global ecological and social issues.
Minerva Cuevas works move at the interface to political action and practices of social self-determination. Conditions of global food production, the economization and distribution of natural resources on a global level as well as the social causes and consequences of climate change and neoliberal labour market policies are recurring themes in her work.
Gathering seven videos and a slide show, dissidencia is Cuevas' first major individual in Brazil. Appropriating the language of marketing and advertising frequently, many of his works dialogue with icons of pop culture to rethink social relations, the role of large corporations in the production of food and the use of natural resources.
As part of its series of new digital initiatives, the New Museum presents Bedtime Stories, a project initiated by the artist Maurizio Cattelan in which different artists are invited to read a selection from their favorite book.
