EARTH AND RESISTING BODIES

To resist, in Regina Obregón’s work, can be understood as a continuous force of opposition against the oppression of heteropatriarchal and petrosexoracial social systems, as articulated by Paul B. Preciado. Regina’s exploration remains in a constant tension of containment. Hence, the condition of stretching becomes the core concept that materializes in the artist's pieces.

In this Open Studio, we present a group of works produced during her two-month residency at Lagos. Regina was able to expand her expression beyond the photographic image—a medium she has worked with for several years in a meticulous and precise manner. This development took shape through continuous dialogues aimed at clarifying the conceptual statements in relation to the materials in action. Thus, she carried out an ongoing exploration of the flexibility, weight, transparency, and symbolic unity of each piece through the integration of its elements.

Stones, personal and family X-rays (as well as those of others), fabric, metal, and thread are the materials that reflect her interest in connecting the forces of oppression over the female body with the exploitation of the earth, exercised by the capitalist system.

The power of synthesis, formalization, and union of materials with a compelling visual language denotes a deeply thoughtful, analytical, and investigative approach by the artist.

olgaMargarita dávila
Chief curator

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I explore the intersection between fragility and resilience through the connection between humanity and nature. The work addresses oppressive burdens, tensions, deformations, and instabilities generated under systems of power such as capitalism and patriarchy, and their impact on the most vulnerable bodies—those of women and the exploited Earth.

This research stems from an ecofeminist perspective, a movement that links the oppression of women with the exploitation of the Earth. Just as nature is extracted, fragmented, and transformed to meet the demands of the economy, women’s bodies are shaped by external burdens and social expectations: caregiving roles, submission, unrecognized productivity, and imposed norms of beauty and gender.

Using materials such as human X-rays—an archive of hidden memory that reveals deformations and fractures caused by external pressure—and stones—a symbol of resistance, permanence, and connection to the Earth—I question the extent to which our relationship with the environment is being eroded and driven to the edge of collapse.

My installation work seeks to intertwine these invisible burdens with the potential for transformation, showing how, despite exploitation, resilience emerges in unexpected ways. It is a dialogue that exposes the hidden and the fragmented, and transforms those burdens into something visible and meaningful. As a whole, the work challenges superficial perceptions and delves into the complexities of human experience in the face of ecological and gender-based crises.

Regina Obregón