Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is a conversation between artist Regina de Miguel, the creator of Catábasis, and curator Mateo Chacón Pino
Relations with the Earth have been social relations of work and exploitation since the emerging industrial capitalism of the 19th century, just as they were in digital capitalism in the 21st century. Who owns the natural resources and who receives their profits? How do wage labor and exploitation shape our relations with the earth and our relations with each other? How does the acceleration of digital processes counteract the slowness of geological processes? The artist Regina de Miguel asks herself these questions based on the regions of Chocó in Colombia and Rio Tinto in Spain. Here the state, the local population and international corporations are fighting for underground gold, an essential element for the computer industry as well as an alien element, which is an object of evil associated with desire and violence over bodies and territories. Through various scenarios, different aspects of extractive coloniality, resistance and guerrilla strategies, Yuli Correa's feminist social activism in Colombia during the peace process, and a critical re-reading of Bogota's Gold Museum and its protocols of concealment are made visible, ending with an epilogue based on Michael Taussig's “My Cocaine Museum”.
Part of MOCA’s environmental programming, MOCA Climate Conversations are organized by Kelsey Shell, Environmental and Sustainability Strategist, with Alitzah Oros, Public Programming Associate, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
The 2023 MOCA Climate Conversations are made possible by Nora McNeely Hurley and Manitou Fund.
This is a conversation between artist Regina de Miguel, the creator of Catábasis, and curator Mateo Chacón Pino
Relations with the Earth have been social relations of work and exploitation since the emerging industrial capitalism of the 19th century, just as they were in digital capitalism in the 21st century. Who owns the natural resources and who receives their profits? How do wage labor and exploitation shape our relations with the earth and our relations with each other? How does the acceleration of digital processes counteract the slowness of geological processes? The artist Regina de Miguel asks herself these questions based on the regions of Chocó in Colombia and Rio Tinto in Spain. Here the state, the local population and international corporations are fighting for underground gold, an essential element for the computer industry as well as an alien element, which is an object of evil associated with desire and violence over bodies and territories. Through various scenarios, different aspects of extractive coloniality, resistance and guerrilla strategies, Yuli Correa's feminist social activism in Colombia during the peace process, and a critical re-reading of Bogota's Gold Museum and its protocols of concealment are made visible, ending with an epilogue based on Michael Taussig's “My Cocaine Museum”.
Part of MOCA’s environmental programming, MOCA Climate Conversations are organized by Kelsey Shell, Environmental and Sustainability Strategist, with Alitzah Oros, Public Programming Associate, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
The 2023 MOCA Climate Conversations are made possible by Nora McNeely Hurley and Manitou Fund.
