Antonio Vega Macotela delves into the intertwined systems of labor, value, and exchange, often forging long-term collaborations with communities such as miners, incarcerated individuals, and hackers. His projects probe how different forms of currency—whether precious metals, state-backed money, or cryptocurrencies—shape social bonds and collective life. He also traces the ecological toll of extraction, linking economic structures to the environmental landscapes they transform. Working across installation, sculpture, and socially engaged projects, Vega Macotela employs strategies of negotiation, barter, and mutual exchange as core components of his practice. Each work reflects a process in which the artist’s time and labor are traded or shared, embedding personal and collective histories into the final piece. His use of unconventional materials and modes of production challenges traditional definitions of artistic authorship, while revealing the invisible structures that govern participation, trust, and value in society. ...
Founded by Pamela Echeverría in Mexico City, LABOR opened in 2009 working with artists whose creative processes are based on long term research. They have a strong commitment with the visions and concerns that their artists have towards the contemporary social/political context. They work with a mix of young and mid-career artists, both Mexican and international. With whom they work closely and assume an active role in the projects they develop. The work of these artists address topics such as value and exchange; economic systems and social structures; the exploitation of natural resources, the ethics of human behaviour, and the hidden political structures of society. ...
