https://antoniovegamacotela.net Antonio Vega Macotela Tue, 05 Dec 2023 13:24:30 +0000 https://antoniovegamacotela.net en https://antoniovegamacotela.net/Untitled-Page Tue, 28 Nov 2023 14:16:09 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/Untitled-Page <img src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3876a200cfacfe902a986cb4578399b909816dd86ace32045097fa60e2765224/MURMMURS_01.jpg"> // define your images here var images = [  "https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/377b0e665703cc69e00236a9697d16b7541dd7c6924e36c5cd453c5f0b721c7a/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_01.jpg",  "https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e59e50fba15577cfd9ed175c4075c92d9ceb68df6891171c6d3211ba3f017e47/Lubumbashi.jpg",  "https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6745206bbcbd1ac20b1ad8e1243b3ed488d6eb01f50cddb1fc7f172f4f9484e1/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_01.jpg",  "https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/48d1574e89bd32d858fe5c4ff8d94a02f83fe80bdebfc627731381d560700a58/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_02.jpg",  "https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3876a200cfacfe902a986cb4578399b909816dd86ace32045097fa60e2765224/MURMMURS_01.jpg",  "https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/96fc0958030fdf4dc36e9e8a08dcf42f0fe79c978becbdd57fd00af543f62fa0/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_00.jpg",  "https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5d76342d753e0c666f68ea4ca95a0400680479ac78d0034e3af5a60429a7a336/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI.jpg" ]; // this chooses a random number from all available image indices var randomImage = images[Math.floor(Math.random() * images.length)]; console.log(randomImage); // make the URL into a proper image tag var image = "<img src='" + randomImage + "'>"; // append to the div document.getElementById("img-load").innerHTML = image; https://antoniovegamacotela.net/IT-IS-CORPSE-IT-IS-DUST-IT-IS-SHADOW-IT-IS-NOTHING-2022 Tue, 28 Nov 2023 14:15:56 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/IT-IS-CORPSE-IT-IS-DUST-IT-IS-SHADOW-IT-IS-NOTHING-2022 <img width="2000" height="1319" width_o="2000" height_o="1319" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/57f8878be22889623afe470917891c231d7b815e600020fdc41fcb95502db72c/KALONGE_Front_detail.jpg" data-mid="198075573" border="0" alt="KALONGE Front detail" data-caption="KALONGE Front detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/57f8878be22889623afe470917891c231d7b815e600020fdc41fcb95502db72c/KALONGE_Front_detail.jpg" /> <img width="1492" height="2000" width_o="1492" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/35db74e734bc4f61ae2716320f839b557d068490ce3fe3c4d8ea54870d0f3de5/Potosi.jpg" data-mid="198070888" border="0" data-caption="Potosí Assemblage on wood, gold and leather. 100 x 64 x 3.5cm " src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/35db74e734bc4f61ae2716320f839b557d068490ce3fe3c4d8ea54870d0f3de5/Potosi.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e59e50fba15577cfd9ed175c4075c92d9ceb68df6891171c6d3211ba3f017e47/Lubumbashi.jpg" data-mid="198074269" border="0" data-caption="Lubumbashi (Front) Assemblage on wood, gold and leather. 100 x 64 x 3.5cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e59e50fba15577cfd9ed175c4075c92d9ceb68df6891171c6d3211ba3f017e47/Lubumbashi.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/91b886c9cfa8702152b58c029671392fded6d1c2ff1c967f49085044a7431b62/Lubumbashi_back.jpg" data-mid="198074339" border="0" alt="LUBUMBASHI Back" data-caption="LUBUMBASHI Back" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/91b886c9cfa8702152b58c029671392fded6d1c2ff1c967f49085044a7431b62/Lubumbashi_back.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1326" width_o="2000" height_o="1326" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fde4f8ffbf98334c997e25c6e837b1b874fcc5233da5f4dd007f600d161e0a53/BAAYAN-OBO_Front_detail.jpg" data-mid="198075611" border="0" alt="BAAYAN OBO Front detail" data-caption="BAAYAN OBO Front detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fde4f8ffbf98334c997e25c6e837b1b874fcc5233da5f4dd007f600d161e0a53/BAAYAN-OBO_Front_detail.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1334" width_o="2000" height_o="1334" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/856c364f4fa37f7b22479404c01dca0eeb38ea287566d1ae6816084a6d05c7d0/KALONGE_Front_detail_02.jpg" data-mid="198075670" border="0" alt="KALONGE Front detail" data-caption="KALONGE Front detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/856c364f4fa37f7b22479404c01dca0eeb38ea287566d1ae6816084a6d05c7d0/KALONGE_Front_detail_02.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ff13d58ab608bc87e69552d200969b5614178ac25c9ce3ca50aa42b4457c03e6/BAAYAN-OBO_Front_detail.jpg" data-mid="198075710" border="0" alt="BAAYAN OBO Front detail" data-caption="BAAYAN OBO Front detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ff13d58ab608bc87e69552d200969b5614178ac25c9ce3ca50aa42b4457c03e6/BAAYAN-OBO_Front_detail.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1309" width_o="2000" height_o="1309" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/faaf9bec29e56bdc7116c5c5ea1ca58bce81749fcd99e75237e5b1fcfc9f9e7a/KALONGE_Back_detail.jpg" data-mid="198075843" border="0" alt="KALONGE Back detail" data-caption="KALONGE Back detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/faaf9bec29e56bdc7116c5c5ea1ca58bce81749fcd99e75237e5b1fcfc9f9e7a/KALONGE_Back_detail.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1309" width_o="2000" height_o="1309" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/458fbc6a5c38cd238b22041c315eb52de4f815caffa98095488e4b4a9a9a2c34/BAAYAN-OBO_Back_detail.jpg" data-mid="198075928" border="0" alt="BAAYAN OBO Back detail" data-caption="BAAYAN OBO Back detail" 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IT IS DUST, IT IS SHADOW, IT IS NOTHING |2022 |THE BALLADE OF THE Q’AQCHAS “As reflection on the water, you are illusion As reflection of the lymph, you are appearance, When I think of your smiling eyes, I am in awe When I think of your playful eyes, I fall ill” “Unuy rirpu llullam kanki Yakuy rirpu pallqum kanki Chay asiq nawily kita yuyarispa ulinipuni Chay pukllay nawily kita yuyarispa unquyman chayani” For the lastest iteration of the Ballade of the Q’aquchas Vega Macotela created characters by using the makehuman software, to then print their skin and features on cow leather (an animal brought from Europe). The prints were produced using steganography, a digital technique that allows information to be hidden within an image. The artist, with the help of hackers, encrypted one of the few poems that remain in Quechua - one of the indigenous languages spoken in Bolivia before the conquest, written by the Andean poet Guaman Poma: &nbsp; The altarpieces of Vega Macotela must be seen from the front and the back. The action of opening and closing the altarpiece is conceptually full of meaning- since, once opened, they are no longer an object, they’re an image. On the backside, we can see the depiction of landscapes on red cedar wood, where the geographical reliefs of the six most exploited mines in the world today: Uyuni, Baayan Obo, Bacadehuachi, Kalonge, Lubumbashi and Potosí. All located in Africa and Latin-America, and exploited for their minerals, which are used by the tech industry: cobalt, lithium, coltan, rare minerals, etc. This is how the “digital world” is built from physical elements which are used by some of the largest multinational corporations to build computers, batteries, screens, circuits, processors, etc. Objects though which we consume parallel digitalized realities such as apps, social networks, or even the theatrics of the metaverse. https://antoniovegamacotela.net/A-SECOND-2021-2022 Tue, 28 Nov 2023 19:33:58 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/A-SECOND-2021-2022 <img width="1110" height="1500" width_o="1110" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4a47a7fcf1c704c1a03688e196f0e11bf7e47a303a9abfcb2bfe32f3b57921ff/A-SECOND.jpg" data-mid="198077290" border="0" alt="A SECOND |2022-2021 Assemblage on UV cristal resine, steel and data 300 x 210 x 140 cm " data-caption="A SECOND |2022-2021 Assemblage on UV cristal resine, steel and data 300 x 210 x 140 cm " src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4a47a7fcf1c704c1a03688e196f0e11bf7e47a303a9abfcb2bfe32f3b57921ff/A-SECOND.jpg" /> <img width="1111" height="1500" width_o="1111" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8a6932ea6dd713f5edaa0fbea023ae775fcdfedc740bfb08469ef7c864b19f7a/A-SECOND_02.jpg" data-mid="198077724" border="0" data-scale="60" alt="A SECOND detail" data-caption="A SECOND detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8a6932ea6dd713f5edaa0fbea023ae775fcdfedc740bfb08469ef7c864b19f7a/A-SECOND_02.jpg" /> A SECOND |2021-2022 |THE BALLADE OF THE Q’AQCHAS For the High Line, Vega Macotela creates “One second”, a giant lens that encapsulates a second of silence from the south of the border. Working with a group of hackers, Vega Macotela embeds an mp3 file from an audio recording of one second of silence taken from a video done by a migrant from the top of the train "La Bestia" into the physical structure of a lens, thus distorting the image seen through it. “In digital steganography, small amounts of data are usually encoded into larger digital files since the data to be hidden has to be smaller than the host. However, audio files like .wav or .mp3 use a significant amount of storage space, so the length of the audio I could encode in a 3d object had to be short. I believed this limitation could be poetic. We can imagine one minute of silence, but how about imagining one second of silence? There is no "silence". There are silences, and not all are equal. It took me a few days to seek and find a second of silence that could conceptually fit the sculpture for the Highline. I found it in a video taken by a migrant going from the South border of Mexico to the North border, where Tijuana collides with California. He was traveling on the top of a train named "La Bestia", that migrants from Central America use to go all the way through Mexico to the United States. I downloaded the video, transformed it into a .mp3 file, extracted one second of silence from it, stored it as a .mp3 file again, and then encoded it into the 3D model of a lens, breaking its geometry. The gesture was slightly similar to the one Duchamp did in "Air de Paris" (1919). However, instead of encapsulating air, I encapsulated one second of silence from the rails of the south to be taken to the rails of the Highline in the United States.”&nbsp; https://antoniovegamacotela.net/INCENDIO-2019 Tue, 28 Nov 2023 19:52:05 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/INCENDIO-2019 <img width="1448" height="2000" width_o="1448" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1f2b034d8a17fb238202bee937aff86aa2b88ebf117377e94cfaef50cf5ac75e/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VII.jpg" data-mid="198134558" border="0" data-scale="55" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE VII |2019 Stegangraphy on Jacqard 300 x 572 cm " data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE VII |2019 Stegangraphy on Jacqard 300 x 572 cm " src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1f2b034d8a17fb238202bee937aff86aa2b88ebf117377e94cfaef50cf5ac75e/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VII.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1330" width_o="2000" height_o="1330" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d4c942d8f4e10f60d01f8e187dc562faa3af2fcb3e78a71e8ec97268a0aed880/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_VII.jpg" data-mid="198135563" border="0" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI &amp; VIIBURNING LANDSCAPE VI &amp; VII |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 572 x 300 cm &amp; 560 x 440 cm" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI &amp; VIIBURNING LANDSCAPE VI &amp; VII |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 572 x 300 cm &amp; 560 x 440 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d4c942d8f4e10f60d01f8e187dc562faa3af2fcb3e78a71e8ec97268a0aed880/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_VII.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1351" width_o="2000" height_o="1351" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7cd59c1d4472bd9efc669b7905507a4fd8b2265c6ac702233da42ca6185ae63d/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_VII_02-.jpg" data-mid="198135633" border="0" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI &amp; VII |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 572 x 300 cm &amp; 560 x 440 cm" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI &amp; VII |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 572 x 300 cm &amp; 560 x 440 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7cd59c1d4472bd9efc669b7905507a4fd8b2265c6ac702233da42ca6185ae63d/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_VII_02-.jpg" /> <img width="1500" height="1116" width_o="1500" height_o="1116" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5d76342d753e0c666f68ea4ca95a0400680479ac78d0034e3af5a60429a7a336/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI.jpg" data-mid="198148422" border="0" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 560 x 440 cm" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 560 x 440 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5d76342d753e0c666f68ea4ca95a0400680479ac78d0034e3af5a60429a7a336/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1903" width_o="2000" height_o="1903" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/567eb4e01f615d17cc9096ea49e56af7abf53f15977514c13a9d215c688e8fa2/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_01.jpg" data-mid="198148861" border="0" data-scale="55" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI Detail" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI Detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/567eb4e01f615d17cc9096ea49e56af7abf53f15977514c13a9d215c688e8fa2/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_01.jpg" /> <img width="1188" height="1500" width_o="1188" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3a5465bd75fee8cbd99ae0c3ea26584baa13ef4a77a5020e81c243a9fa105563/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_02.jpg" data-mid="198149016" border="0" data-scale="55" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI Detail" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI Detail" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3a5465bd75fee8cbd99ae0c3ea26584baa13ef4a77a5020e81c243a9fa105563/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_02.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="663" width_o="1000" height_o="663" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/237a76ea1b3300decdcbdb0d62b6006fc7f8448f128c447c1b5001e5347f401f/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-III.jpg" data-mid="198149770" border="0" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE III |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 170 x 269 cm" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE III |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 170 x 269 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/237a76ea1b3300decdcbdb0d62b6006fc7f8448f128c447c1b5001e5347f401f/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-III.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8005b10117941e771e528fd07f4c670df6fe012137962104b660ccf6c8d87edd/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-V.jpg" data-mid="198149778" border="0" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE V |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 163 x 253 cm" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE V |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 163 x 253 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8005b10117941e771e528fd07f4c670df6fe012137962104b660ccf6c8d87edd/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-V.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1500" width_o="2000" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0d4e2d8bfed07ca5a4f5088cd4a74a098c7011f8fd196e63dd91a8a1f624f74c/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-II.jpg" data-mid="198151988" border="0" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE II |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 140 x 200 cm" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE II |2019 Steganography on Jacqard 140 x 200 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0d4e2d8bfed07ca5a4f5088cd4a74a098c7011f8fd196e63dd91a8a1f624f74c/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-II.jpg" /> <img width="1406" height="1946" width_o="1406" height_o="1946" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ba0a8a4f6998b9e9eaf5180fe48c391f82b136b0b437b4aac28e40546d6a8b37/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_03.jpg" data-mid="198153021" border="0" data-scale="55" alt="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI" data-caption="BURNING LANDSCAPE VI" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ba0a8a4f6998b9e9eaf5180fe48c391f82b136b0b437b4aac28e40546d6a8b37/BURNING-LANDSCAPE-VI_03.jpg" /> INCENDIO |2019 |THE BALLADE OF THE Q’AQCHASMay signs come out of my mouth
of how much my heart burns,
Because nobody, nobody will believe a fire if its smoke does not send signals Excerpt from Incendio by Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz (1648-1695) Woven burning forests mark the symbolic, and timely, death of the traditional landscape and the structures it stood for. In the present-day landscape, the hegemony of nation-states gave place to the interplay between corporate and state powers, and the borders pose no obstacle for the flow of data. Even though most of contemporary financial and informational operations remain invisible, they might have visible effects on our landscape. This loaded invisibility resonates in the title of the series, ‘Nobody will believe the fire if its smoke does not send signals’, which is a quote from the poem Incendio by sister Juana Ines de la Cruz, a Mexican poet of the Q’aquchas. The low-resolution images were pulled from the internet and transformed into textiles using Jacquard looms. In transforming each pixel into a unit of textile, Macotela demonstrates the affinity between the construction of digital images and tapestries. Macotela’s tapestries also serve as a peculiar data storage. The artist imbued them with data from the so-called Lagarde list, unlawfully disclosing the names of two thousand tax evaders. The artist himself made use of the technique of ‘steganography’, commonly used by hackers and activists to hide secret information, to encode data in plain sight.&nbsp; https://antoniovegamacotela.net/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD-2017-2018 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:49:47 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD-2017-2018 <img width="3000" height="2159" width_o="3000" height_o="2159" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/377b0e665703cc69e00236a9697d16b7541dd7c6924e36c5cd453c5f0b721c7a/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_01.jpg" data-mid="198617579" border="0" alt="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018 Assemblage on wood, steel and computer crypto miners. 900 x 900 x 698 cm" data-caption="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018 Assemblage on wood, steel and computer crypto miners. 900 x 900 x 698 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/377b0e665703cc69e00236a9697d16b7541dd7c6924e36c5cd453c5f0b721c7a/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_01.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="680" width_o="1000" height_o="680" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a84cbb0d3d4ad50afa49f0de3ea518b56a2880240da6d938f0a920c9b90265c4/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_02.jpg" data-mid="198617601" border="0" alt="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018" data-caption="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a84cbb0d3d4ad50afa49f0de3ea518b56a2880240da6d938f0a920c9b90265c4/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_02.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/18b587ae2d69b9defecfe26cd2bcdea822cd9fabca0910cf55891a9c4a90918d/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_03.jpg" data-mid="198617709" border="0" alt="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018" data-caption="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/18b587ae2d69b9defecfe26cd2bcdea822cd9fabca0910cf55891a9c4a90918d/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_03.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a32e534dd4a2e9700c9f024bb437e0f296690ddea8e46d02d671cfa08e5987a9/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_04.jpg" data-mid="198617737" border="0" alt="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018" data-caption="THE MILL OF BLOOD|2017 -2018" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a32e534dd4a2e9700c9f024bb437e0f296690ddea8e46d02d671cfa08e5987a9/THE-MILL-OF-BLOOD_04.jpg" /> THE MILL OF BLOOD |2017-2018 Mill of Blood is a project carried out for dOCUMENTA14 in Kassel, Germany; it is the modified reproduction of a machine used in Latin America at the time of the colony in the coin minting process, which, in the case of dOCUMENTA, produced a hybrid between a metal coin and a cryptocurrency called TEIO. Blood mills are old machines that used the physical force of animals or humans as fuel; they were installed in contexts where there was no other energy source but physical work. In the colonial period, three blood mills were dedicated to coin minting established in Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia. The project presented in Kassel is inspired by the mill of Bolivia. The mill of Bolivia was in the city of Potosí, in the foothills of Cerro Rico, at the height of more than 4000 meters above sea level. Its location had supposedly challenging climatological conditions in addition to poor oxygen. The difficult access and harsh conditions, in addition to the high energy expenditure required by the operation of the machine, caused the animals that worked on it to die very quickly. It is said that humans, natives/slaves were used instead of mules or oxen for more efficiency and cheaper. The exhaustive work was damaging to the body and undermined the spirit. I feel that gradually while working in the mill, the worker's flesh became the face of the king printed on the silver extracted from Cerro Rico. The machine found in Kassel did not operate from slave labor but from the participation of the tourists and visitors of dOCUMETA 14. Each time the center wheel of the mill was turned, a new coin was minted, and for each one of them, a new cryptocurrency called TEIO was mined through the computer system inbuilt into the Mill of Blood. This Cryptocurrency was designed to create a voting system. Each TEIO could be divided into 20,000 parts, each with the ability to certify and process the votes of one person. In total, 29,000 TEIOS were created, enough for a democratic system of 580 million people country. https://antoniovegamacotela.net/THE-CHISEL-AN-THE-SINKHOLE-2018 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:32:23 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/THE-CHISEL-AN-THE-SINKHOLE-2018 <img width="1024" height="696" width_o="1024" height_o="696" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/38f5eff0d87b7cc68dc4bf956da7552f6abfbd577c390b9940c8a25b5f666cc0/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_01.jpg" data-mid="198619330" border="0" alt="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018 Assemblage on wood,AND steel 149 x 219x 259 cm" data-caption="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018 Assemblage on wood,AND steel 149 x 219x 259 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/38f5eff0d87b7cc68dc4bf956da7552f6abfbd577c390b9940c8a25b5f666cc0/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_01.jpg" /> <img width="1701" height="1157" width_o="1701" height_o="1157" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/48d1574e89bd32d858fe5c4ff8d94a02f83fe80bdebfc627731381d560700a58/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_02.jpg" data-mid="198619343" border="0" alt="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" data-caption="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/48d1574e89bd32d858fe5c4ff8d94a02f83fe80bdebfc627731381d560700a58/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_02.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1548" width_o="2000" height_o="1548" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/37cfa848a8d5dad7fffacd9216adc167c72a260a60ac5616c37bb15e5a86e9ae/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_03.jpg" data-mid="198619392" border="0" alt="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" data-caption="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/37cfa848a8d5dad7fffacd9216adc167c72a260a60ac5616c37bb15e5a86e9ae/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_03.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="1041" width_o="3000" height_o="1041" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c1b2349a7c68425f880158321fdbca831fb7371253cf4e068caea138f783fc0b/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_04.jpg" data-mid="198620015" border="0" alt="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" data-caption="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c1b2349a7c68425f880158321fdbca831fb7371253cf4e068caea138f783fc0b/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_04.jpg" /> <img width="1371" height="1466" width_o="1371" height_o="1466" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cba7b4960c01a9375f218f903ac40db79cc31dc61d67ea83e5f5771d18b5c425/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_05.jpg" data-mid="198620067" border="0" data-scale="59" alt="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" data-caption="THE CHISEL AND THE SINKHOLE |2018" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cba7b4960c01a9375f218f903ac40db79cc31dc61d67ea83e5f5771d18b5c425/THE-CHISEL-AND-THE-SINKHOLE_05.jpg" /> THE CHISEL AN THE SINKHOLE |2018 The chisel and sinkhole is a sound sculpture made from the mechanism of European music boxes and used chisels and hammers. The melody it plays is a version of "Aunque mi amo me mate, a esa mina no voy", one of the first protest songs of Latin America,&nbsp; sung in Colombia at the end of XVIII C. during the first rebellion of slave miners. Armed only with chisels and hammers, they were slaughtered by their masters. The musical phrasing of the song was the same as that of funeral marches. In the same decade, Antoine Fabre - a Swiss watchmaker -invented the music box. Mechanically, the work consists of a rotating cylinder with chisels that, while in motion, push and release already used and worn-out hammers, delicately reproducing the notes of the melody. These tools were collected and investigated by José Antonio Vega Silva - the artist's father -, who starting from the concept of "Potentia" by Spinoza, says that tools are not adequately worn out but sculpted throughout their use until they reach their maximum poetic and formal state. In this sense, the nature of the work is processual and will not be complete until the tools no longer fulfill a function - exist only as sculptures and traces - and the song is silent. The chisel and the sinkhole refer not only to colonialism but metaphorically point out to a utopian reality, free of abuse. The piece links - conceptually, historically, and formally - the Colony and the "colonized" by its mechanics when the music sounds as the handle is turned. As part of the piece, a series of 13 drawings were made as perforated paper, replicating the process of transferring notes of the tune to the music box cylinder. This is to stress the song's relevance, historically and as a critical component of the artwork. https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE-2016 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:51:43 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE-2016 <img width="1463" height="2001" width_o="1463" height_o="2001" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7ce5e9d76ef5ffda9ca5d32704c680d1ed79f97c195311f28c4dd0a5c4979450/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_02.jpg" data-mid="198629126" border="0" data-scale="50" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FIVE |2016 The Ghost archive Sweat prrinted on paper 200 pages of 21.5 x 27 cm. Enrique is an engineer who began to collect nails, nuts and screws in the streets since it was impossible to find any in the embargoed Cuba. He printed with his sweat his 20 years collection ." data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FIVE |2016 The Ghost archive Sweat prrinted on paper 200 pages of 21.5 x 27 cm. Enrique is an engineer who began to collect nails, nuts and screws in the streets since it was impossible to find any in the embargoed Cuba. He printed with his sweat his 20 years collection ." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7ce5e9d76ef5ffda9ca5d32704c680d1ed79f97c195311f28c4dd0a5c4979450/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_02.jpg" /> <img width="1690" height="1332" width_o="1690" height_o="1332" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/96fc0958030fdf4dc36e9e8a08dcf42f0fe79c978becbdd57fd00af543f62fa0/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_00.jpg" data-mid="198629141" border="0" alt="Carlitos is a researcher of the history of make up in Cuba so he decided to print all the faces of the showgirls he helped to make-up " data-caption="Carlitos is a researcher of the history of make up in Cuba so he decided to print all the faces of the showgirls he helped to make-up " src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/96fc0958030fdf4dc36e9e8a08dcf42f0fe79c978becbdd57fd00af543f62fa0/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_00.jpg" /> STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FIVE |2016 The ghost archive PHILIPPIDICS: STUDIES ON EXHAUSTION This archive was&nbsp; created to&nbsp; document and&nbsp; preserve&nbsp; “unrewarded work”&nbsp; as a worker’s life legacy. For its creation, the artist hacked many printers and ink-injection devices so that&nbsp; they print with sweat, used&nbsp; as raw material to create&nbsp; these objects, based on the idea that&nbsp; sweat is both the DNA&nbsp; and a metaphor of work.&nbsp; When sweat&nbsp; dries it&nbsp; becomes&nbsp; invisible, and it can only be seen using ultraviolet light. The&nbsp; pictures shown have a blue&nbsp; dye, because they were lightened up&nbsp; with black light, a variant of UV light. This project has been developed in many places and contexts. The following images capture the stage of the project made in Havana, Cuba https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR-2015 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:43:16 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR-2015 <img width="2000" height="1452" width_o="2000" height_o="1452" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6745206bbcbd1ac20b1ad8e1243b3ed488d6eb01f50cddb1fc7f172f4f9484e1/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_01.jpg" data-mid="198627495" border="0" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015 Fortune Marble powder 3d Printings Four sculptures of 25 x 25 x 25 cm aprox" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015 Fortune Marble powder 3d Printings Four sculptures of 25 x 25 x 25 cm aprox" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6745206bbcbd1ac20b1ad8e1243b3ed488d6eb01f50cddb1fc7f172f4f9484e1/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FIVE_01.jpg" /> <img width="1370" height="2001" width_o="1370" height_o="2001" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/377b3ee27d6a8876931128d36a093cd53a1c6fb7ab5af03ede955b63f7bc15e8/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_02.jpg" data-mid="198627500" border="0" data-scale="50" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/377b3ee27d6a8876931128d36a093cd53a1c6fb7ab5af03ede955b63f7bc15e8/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_02.jpg" /> <img width="1370" height="2001" width_o="1370" height_o="2001" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/38c459f2d5740b71e439a28533ebacbca36b0a12740717e18ff2dda37e6e0cb8/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_03.jpg" data-mid="198627501" border="0" data-scale="50" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/38c459f2d5740b71e439a28533ebacbca36b0a12740717e18ff2dda37e6e0cb8/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_03.jpg" /> <img width="1370" height="2000" width_o="1370" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bd386f09d038749a5c8cb7d2765d917ca11c402b6035ac68fa0900df08579db1/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_04.jpg" data-mid="198627502" border="0" data-scale="50" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bd386f09d038749a5c8cb7d2765d917ca11c402b6035ac68fa0900df08579db1/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_04.jpg" /> <img width="1370" height="2001" width_o="1370" height_o="2001" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/21a1abf46e8790326e2f8d7bfbb2ef730a646671b4e46002dea470eb8f19578e/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_05.jpg" data-mid="198627504" border="0" data-scale="50" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/21a1abf46e8790326e2f8d7bfbb2ef730a646671b4e46002dea470eb8f19578e/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-FOUR_05.jpg" /> STUDY OF EXHAUSTION FOUR |2015 Fortune PHILIPPIDICS: STUDIES ON EXHAUSTION Vega Macotela transformed all the print photographs of his personal archive into 55 tiles made of clay and ashes. Each tile had a different value depending on the life image or the burned episode to produce it. These pieces were exchanged with other people based on experiences they told me about and were a sort of “tradeable currency” to do the action. In addition to their quantitative value, their personal accounts shaped and modified the sketch or render of a sculpture titled ‘Charging Bull,’ representing the iconic image of the Wall Street Bull and financial speculation. 5 groups of sculptures — also combining the words of the narrative as a modifying, or speculating, the structure of the form — originated https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-THREE-2014 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 13:19:23 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-THREE-2014 <img width="3000" height="2015" width_o="3000" height_o="2015" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0894c9849cfb85c18f046c1caedb7092aa27ecc093b9ace23ab98db26113ce0d/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-THREE_01.jpg" data-mid="198629342" border="0" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION THREE |2014 The Flesh Assemblage on Aluminium, Steel and Horse bone 120 boots 25 x 25 x 12 cm" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION THREE |2014 The Flesh Assemblage on Aluminium, Steel and Horse bone 120 boots 25 x 25 x 12 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0894c9849cfb85c18f046c1caedb7092aa27ecc093b9ace23ab98db26113ce0d/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-THREE_01.jpg" /> <img width="1467" height="2000" width_o="1467" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/eb41155597c9ec0b336a165386f66bdd47ec288a0a575c34fff44e30a4b3c357/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-THREE_02.jpg" data-mid="198629343" border="0" data-scale="50" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION THREE |2014" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION THREE |2014" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/eb41155597c9ec0b336a165386f66bdd47ec288a0a575c34fff44e30a4b3c357/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-THREE_02.jpg" /> STUDIO OF EXHAUSTION THREE |2014 The Flesh PHILIPPIDICS: STUDIES ON EXHAUSTION The artist rebuilt a mill of blood. Mills of blood were the mills used where there were no resources other than physical labor. Water, carbon, or wind was unavailable, and the human body was the only power source. This mill was used to mint silver coins when Latin America was a Spanish colony. There were three mills —one in Mexico, one in Peru, and a third one in the highlands of Peru or Bolivia. Mills of Blood were initially powered by oxen or donkeys, except for the mill in Bolivia. It was located 1312 feet above sea level, where the extreme weather made animals die regularly; hence, natives were used instead, as they were cheaper for the Spanish Crown. I traveled to Bolivia to see some of the original drawings and sketches of this machine, and based on them, I rebuilt it, at 1:55 scale, as a Catholic relic. https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-ONE-2012 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 13:24:30 +0000 Antonio Vega Macotela https://antoniovegamacotela.net/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-ONE-2012 <img width="670" height="744" width_o="670" height_o="744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/62f15b76be4bba259ec101ca4c90028c47ffbc62f188739290e70a7139901439/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-ONE_01.jpg" data-mid="198629686" border="0" data-scale="37" alt="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION ONE|2012 The equivalence of silver Cast on Silver, Saliva, and Coca leaves ashes 5 x 7 x 3.5 cm" data-caption="STUDY OF EXHAUSTION ONE|2012 The equivalence of silver Cast on Silver, Saliva, and Coca leaves ashes 5 x 7 x 3.5 cm" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/670/i/62f15b76be4bba259ec101ca4c90028c47ffbc62f188739290e70a7139901439/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-ONE_01.jpg" /> <img width="1411" height="2001" width_o="1411" height_o="2001" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/361d1006a25b5b20f2785776d162d93d2b3e7e23b57a300c6ffc0b9d0d305bfb/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-ONE_02.jpg" data-mid="198629687" border="0" data-scale="50" alt="STUDIO OF EXHAUSTION ONE installed at Manifesta 9" data-caption="STUDIO OF EXHAUSTION ONE installed at Manifesta 9" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/361d1006a25b5b20f2785776d162d93d2b3e7e23b57a300c6ffc0b9d0d305bfb/STUDY-OF-EXHAUSTION-ONE_02.jpg" /> STUDY OF EXHAUSTION ONE |2012 The equivalence of silver PHILIPPIDICS: STUDIES ON EXHAUSTION Antonio Vega Macotela traveled to Potosí in Bolivia, the old South American mining district, intent on getting a boleo from one of the miners who work in the silver mines of Cerro Rico. A boleo is a ball a person makes in his mouth by chewing coca leaves to extract its juices, which allows them to work for a long time without food or rest, an action called acullicar. I was interested in getting a boleo that would be the product of a work shift of eight hours or more. It took me several days to convince a miner to help me, a negotiation that included following him several times into the mine. In the end, the exchange was quick: the miner gave me the ball of coca leaves I wanted so much, and without uttering a word or making any gesture, he returned to work. Although I sought the assistance of several government agencies, it took me months to be able to take the boleo outside of Bolivia. While the Bolivian government has vetoed the exportation of even a single coca leaf from the country in protest against the international prohibition of its cultivation, other governments denied their assistance, aligning themselves with the US view that it was a forbidden drug. Smuggling was the only way to fly the boleo to Mexico, but after several attempts, it was clear that it would be impossible to import it into Europe. I thought then about duplicating the ball.