CEMENTING POWER: INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGIES OF THE MEXICAN LANDSCAPE
Curated by Tania Tovar Torres and based on research by Erika Loana and Kim Förster, Ecologies of the Machine: Landscapes of Cement and Power presents material from the Atlas Materia Prima project—an investigation into the social, territorial, and environmental impact of the cement industry in Mexico.
Today, concrete is the most widely used building material on earth. The distinct capital driven forces that have pushed the cement industry since its appearance in the 19th century and into its high rise during the 20th, have consolidated it as a material crucial in shaping contemporary natural and artificial landscapes.
Its ecological impact extends past the buildings and the land they occupy, holding power over the last two centuries to transform landscapes, natural resources, social and labor structures, economies, and environments. From the extraction of raw materials to the construction of cities, cement is present in all its forms as an agent of change, taking over economies and even the very air that we breathe. The famous mix of five parts limestone (CaCO3), two parts aluminosilicate and added gypsum has radically changed the construction industry, its processes of production, distribution, and use, have changed the world.
-
Ecologies of the Machine: Landscapes of Cement and Power. Courtesy of VI PER Gallery
Mexico is the world’s 12th largest cement-producing nation, home to the second largest cement company in the world, while domestically consuming 97 percent of all cement it produces. This condition is fueled by a land with 87 percent of its total made out of limestone, and a regulatory legal frame that exempts the extraction of rocks and products that can only be used for construction purposes, leaving the landscape unprotected against one of the largest industries in the country, and making it the perfect laying ground for it to grow exponentially.
Ecologies of the Machine: Landscapes of Cement and Power delves into the multiple ecologies, systems, and landscape transformations derived from the economic and technological machine that is the cement industry in Mexico. By examining the historical discourse and contemporary narratives in the cement industry, the exhibition seeks to reveal the hidden history of such realities, evidencing how they have worked to maintain the position, power, and profit of individuals and groups, presenting the power dynamics underlying socio-technical regimes, while documenting the inevitable and overlooked alterations to the Mexican landscape.
-
Ecologies of the Machine: Landscapes of Cement and Power. Courtesy of VI PER Gallery
The show—rotating around the kiln, the key piece of technology in cement production—operates as a machine, transforming matter into material, introducing six themes—culture, labor, capital, self-construction, social, and the environment—to scrutinize cement as a material, an industry, and an ideology.
Ecologies of the Machine: Landscapes of Cement and Power will be on display unttil July 12, 2025, at VI PER Gallery, Vítkova 2, Prague 18600 (Czech Republic).
*Cover image: Ecologies of the Machine: Landscapes of Cement and Power. Courtesy of VI PER Gallery
Related Topics
May interest you
ART BASEL IN BASEL 2025: A CAUTIOUS MARKET WITH A FOCUS ON VALUE AND QUALITY
This year’s edition of Art Basel in Basel echoed a similar dynamic to New York Art Week in May: the post-pandemic frenzy is over, and the market is clearly in the hands of buyers. While major sales did take place—particularly in the blue-chip segment—the overall pace was measured, expectations were modest, yet the atmosphere remained upbeat. The market is going through a period of adjustment, though interest in collecting remains strong.
LISTENING AS A POLITICAL AND ECOLOGICAL ACT: MOMENTUM 13 IN NORWAY
MOMENTUM, the Nordic Biennale of Contemporary Art, inaugurated its 13th edition, Between/Worlds: Resonant Ecologies, curated by Danish curator and academic Morten Søndergaard. The show invites the public to tune into the quiet, the overlooked, the unheard; presents sound as a way to reorient how we live and as a medium for unprepared listening.
LIVING MATTER: MARLENE ALMEIDA AND WALTER LEBLANC IN BRUSSELS
Inspired by the visionary spirit of Walter and Nicole Leblanc, the Foundation launches a new programme of exhibitions, residencies, and events, reaffirming its commitment to artistic inquiry, international dialogue, and critical engagement with the urgencies of our time.
GRACIELA ITURBIDE RETROSPECTIVE AT CASA DE MÉXICO
By Álvaro de Benito
The Casa de México Foundation in Spain is hosting Cuando habla la luz (When Light Speaks), the first retrospective of Graciela Iturbide (Mexico City, 1942) since she received the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts. Curated by Juan Rafael Coronel Rivera, the exhibition brings together 115 works spanning from 1972 to 2017.
