Mabe Bethônico, born in 1966 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, lives and works between Geneva and Arles. She teaches at the ENSP Arles and at HEAD Geneva. An artist, researcher, and professor, her practice lies at the intersection of artistic research, history, and editorial practices, with particular attention to the history of mining extraction and its environmental, social, and political consequences.

She has participated in the 27th and 28th São Paulo Biennials, the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale (2021), and has exhibited at the Van Abbemuseum (Eindhoven), the Werkleitz Festivals in Germany (2024–2025), and the Centre d’Art Contemporain in Geneva (2022).

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The Collective Dig: A Paper Theatre on the Myths of Extraction

Since the early 2000s, Mabe Bethônico has been developing the series “Geological Interactions,” in which she explores the complex connections between humans, minerals, and social structures, as well as their political and economic implications. Her work examines how natural resources shape not only landscapes but also collective narratives and power dynamics.
In 2021, on the occasion of the Venice Architecture Biennale, she published Missing Words for Considering Stones, Rocks, Pebbles, and Mountains: A Vocabulary of Proximity, a collection of texts that she conceived and edited. This book offers a “vocabulary of proximity” to rethink our relationship with geological materials. The artist refers to this as “geomediation”: a practice that aims to explore ways of relating to the Earth and its components—including rocks— that are respectful of them, viewing them as living, active entities.

A native of Belo Horizonte, the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais—literally “general mines”—Bethônico draws on the history of this region, which has been shaped by mining and colonialism. This context fuels a critical reflection on the continuities between past exploitation and current economic models.

A native of Belo Horizonte, the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais—literally “general mines”—Bethônico draws on the history of this region, which has been shaped by mining and colonialism. This context fuels a critical reflection on the continuities between past exploitation and current economic models.

The Collective Dig. A Paper Theatre on the Myths of Extraction translates this research into a theatrical installation. Taking the form of a paper theater populated by miniature figures and landscapes, the work brings to life the narratives, mythologies, and interests that shape mining activity. At the same time, it opens up a space for imagination: one in which we can envision alternative ways of coexisting with natural resources, with greater attention to ecological balance and the equitable redistribution of wealth.

Stone Testament Journal

Stone Testament Journal presents itself as a speculative space in which all ideas—whether imaginary, desired, or suggested—are meant to be explored further. The project raises open-ended questions that invite deeper reflection and debate on the relationship between humans and rocks.

The advertisements that make up the newspaper take the form of photographs of book covers, posters, and events observed by the artist. These images, taken from real-world contexts, are repositioned and reconfigured to create a space for reflection where the document becomes a proposition, and observation transforms into a hypothesis. Thus, the work explores how geological materials carry political, cultural, and symbolic narratives.