MASP (Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand) presents Video Room: Tania Ximena from August 22 to September 28. The exhibition features La Marcha del Líquen [The March of the Lichen] (2024), one of the most recent films by Mexican artist Tania Ximena, which has already been shown at several festivals and at the 15th FEMSA Biennial. The film stands out for its focus on landscapes and ecosystems, which the artist explores through the lens of the interconnectedness of all living and non-living beings, including the geological and natural elements that comprise life on Earth. 

La Marcha del Líquen is presented on two channels and documents transformations in geographically distant yet closely connected territories. The first video, filmed in Antarctica, documents the melting of glacial ice and the subsequent greening of the landscape due to the growth of lichens and mosses on the exposed soil. As the polar white recedes—a natural process accelerated by climate change—green overtakes the Antarctic continent.

The second channel, filmed in the mangroves and swamps of Centla in Tabasco, Mexico, explores the coastal erosion that led to the disappearance of the indigenous Yokot’an community of El Bosque. This erosion is an indirect consequence of polar ice melt and rising sea levels. The region has historically experienced water cycles, but the intensification of these events caused the Yokot’an to replace their traditional construction techniques with modern masonry. However, the new structures did not withstand the floods. Submerged trees and the ruins of buildings appear in the video as traces of El Bosque’s former occupation. 

Based on these two contexts, the work takes a close look at the effects of the climate emergency. It suggests that human ways of life become vulnerable to disappearance in the face of landscape transformations. At the same time, the work questions humanity's ability or choice to adapt by abandoning ancestral relationships with the land in favor of fragile solutions in the face of the force of nature. Rather than merely denouncing global warming, the work invites reflection on alternative ways of inhabiting the planet and on the possibility of learning from natural cycles. 

Curated by Matheus de Andrade, assistant curator at MASP, the Video Room offers an immersive experience in these environments. The projection occurs in sequence: first, images of Antarctica occupy the main wall; then, the narrative continues on the screen to the left, with scenes filmed in Mexico. This spatial arrangement reinforces the geographical distance between the territories portrayed and highlights the specificities of each ecosystem, while suggesting connections between distinct processes that are interconnected by the climate crisis. 

At first glance, the landscapes that the artist depicts may seem disconnected, but they reveal deep historical and geological links. By making the landscape the subject, the work shifts the focus of observation, broadening the gaze beyond the human to consider its place in a more comprehensive ecosystem involving natural, spiritual, and social dimensions. 

“Another important contrast lies in the colors of the two channels. The first is dominated by the white of the glaciers, which gradually transitions to shades of gray, brown, and green. The second, recorded in infrared, has an orange hue that gives the landscape a different atmosphere and evokes futuristic or dystopian images. These colors also highlight the green of the forest and the reflections on the water, which are central elements in the film and are responsible for transforming life in both Antarctica and Mexico,” says Matheus de Andrade. 

The second video features Yokot’an poet Esmeralda López Méndez, who reflects on the intimate relationship between territory and water in Tabasco. “The sea has taught us that being part of something that no longer exists means that nothing belongs to you. It strips
you bare, leaving only the memory of the place where you grew up, lived, and loved. The sea took everything, but we continue to live with it. It is not our fault that we depend on it, even though it took everything from us.” 

Video Room: Tania Ximena is part of MASP’s annual program dedicated to Histories of Ecology. The Video Room’s 2025 program also includes exhibitions by Janaina Wagner, Emilija Škarnulytė, Maya Watanabe, Inuk Silis Høegh, and Vídeo nas Aldeias. 

About the Artist: 
Tania Ximena (Hidalgo, Mexico, 1985) is a visual artist and filmmaker. She combines field research with experiences in territories marked by ecological, social, and political tensions. She explores landscape, memory, and ways of life through different media, such as video, sound, sculpture, and installation. Ximena has participated in exhibitions at institutions such as Ex Teresa Arte Actual, Museo Jumex, and Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil. She has also participated in biennials such as FEMSA (2024), Bienal Sur (2021), and Bienal de Arquitectura de Orléans (2019). 

PRODUCTION AND SUPPORT 
Video Room: Tania Ximena is produced under the Federal Culture Incentive Law. 

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