*for english press one
metros cúbicos does not exist in a sterile white cube. It occupies the residual spatial fabric of a veterinary hospital—a site where bodies meet intervention, where healing is tangible, and where suffering has a clear cost. we reclaim this space to break the wall between artistic speculation and material survival.
care is not an exclusive commodity reserved for those with capital. in line with donna haraway’s vision of companion species, human and non-human lives are bound in a shared terrestrial destiny. to abandon urban animals to economic scarcity is to deny our fundamental ecological kinship. metros cúbicos activates art as an engine for cross-species survival.
under semiocapitalism, art is routinely converted into financial speculation, and social gatherings are reduced to transactional networking. franco "bifo" berardi warns of the exhaustion of our emotional and nervous capacities. we refuse to let care be financialized. each exhibition directly subverts the market by diverting creative energy toward a direct, accessible fund for veterinary care.
our openings are alcohol-free. we do not offer liquid pacification or comfortable numbness. in a city driven by speed and stimulation, we demand clear-headed, deliberate engagement. sobriety at metros cúbicos is a pedagogical device—a strategy to force active dialogue between strangers, artists, the immediate streetscape, and our non-human kin.
metros cúbicos is not a static institution; it is a temporary autonomous protocol. it will morph, adapt, and rewrite itself through twelve interventions a year until the financialization of care is no longer an obstacle to life.
artists are required to propose not just visual artwork, but a tactical financial protocol.
in resistance to alienated gallery labor, artists must directly install their own work and make all spatial arrangements.
openings at metros cúbicos are designed as active, clear-headed social interventions rather than parties, we want to never invite the police.
1. gallery manifesto
multispecies mutual aid & radical sobriety
I. the residual continuum
metros cúbicos does not exist in a sterile white cube. It occupies the residual spatial fabric of a veterinary hospital—a site where bodies meet intervention, where healing is tangible, and where suffering has a clear cost. we reclaim this space to break the wall between artistic speculation and material survival.
II. harawayian entanglement: beyond human exceptionalism
care is not an exclusive commodity reserved for those with capital. in line with donna haraway’s vision of companion species, human and non-human lives are bound in a shared terrestrial destiny. to abandon urban animals to economic scarcity is to deny our fundamental ecological kinship. metros cúbicos activates art as an engine for cross-species survival.
III. berardian de-financialization: re-sensitizing the city
under semiocapitalism, art is routinely converted into financial speculation, and social gatherings are reduced to transactional networking. franco "bifo" berardi warns of the exhaustion of our emotional and nervous capacities. we refuse to let care be financialized. each exhibition directly subverts the market by diverting creative energy toward a direct, accessible fund for veterinary care.
IV. the regulated encounter
our openings are alcohol-free. we do not offer liquid pacification or comfortable numbness. in a city driven by speed and stimulation, we demand clear-headed, deliberate engagement. sobriety at metros cúbicos is a pedagogical device—a strategy to force active dialogue between strangers, artists, the immediate streetscape, and our non-human kin.
V. an evolving morphing argument
metros cúbicos is not a static institution; it is a temporary autonomous protocol. it will morph, adapt, and rewrite itself through twelve interventions a year until the financialization of care is no longer an obstacle to life.
2. artist submission & protocol guidelines
1.develop a financial/mutual-aid mechanism:requirements: must generate accessible funds for veterinary care.artists are required to propose not just visual artwork, but a tactical financial protocol.
the goal: generate capital specifically designated for the metros cúbicos medical fund, which provides direct micro-grants to individuals who cannot afford critical or emergency veterinary care.
format: editions, performance-based micro-transactions, sliding-scale sales, or participatory auctions. the mechanism could be integrated into the artwork itself.
in resistance to alienated gallery labor, artists must directly install their own work and make all spatial arrangements.
the physical effort of prepping, painting, mounting, and lighting is part of the artist's skin-in-the-game commitment to the space.
openings at metros cúbicos are designed as active, clear-headed social interventions rather than parties, we want to never invite the police.
no alcoholic beverages: non-alcoholic infusions, cold teas, or water protocols are permitted.
public activation: artists must design a method to engage passive pedestrians, neighbor-passersby, and local animal guardians into the exhibition conversation during the opening hours.
transparency: 100% of the proceeds generated by the artist's proposed financial mechanism go directly into the metros cúbicos medical fund.
governance: fund distribution is audited monthly and publicly posted within the gallery space, documenting the exact animal surgeries, treatments, and procedures subsidized by the current exhibition cycle.
para espanol presione uno(dos veces)
espaNol marque dos
metros cúbicos: 12 interventions in multispecies mutual aid
location: metros cúbicos (residual space of veterinary hospital),
cycle: twelve exhibitions / twelve mutual-aid tactics
the call
metros cúbicos invites artists, collective practitioners, spatial designers, and critical thinkers to submit proposals for our upcoming twelve-exhibition cycle.
ten years ago, we designed a veterinary hospital for a client in mexico. returning to the site, we reclaim its residual spatial footprint to confront a urgent, systemic crisis: veterinary care has become an expensive luxury commodity, leaving countless animal guardians unable to afford essential treatment or life-saving care for their non-human companions.
we reject the financialization of care and the detachment of the contemporary white-cube gallery. at metros cúbicos, donna haraway’s concept of companion species meets franco "bifo" berardi’s critique of semiocapitalism. we view art not as a luxury asset for financial speculation, but as a site of cognitive re-sensitization and direct mutual aid.
what we are looking for
we are seeking 12 distinct project proposals that directly integrate visual/spatial art with tactical financial mechanisms to support animal care. each exhibition will run for one month.
we ask participating artists to embrace three core working principles:
- a financial & mutual-aid mechanism: your proposal must include an active tactic or strategy (editions, performance micro-transactions, participatory exchanges, sliding-scale work) designed to raise capital for the metros cúbicos medical fund. 100% of proceeds generated through your mechanism will directly subsidize veterinary treatments, surgeries, and care for animal guardians without financial resources.
- embodied labor & spatial adaption: in resistance to alienated art-world labor, artists must physically install their work and make all necessary spatial arrangements to display their exhibition in the space. you will work directly with the residual architecture of the clinic—engaging its history, materials, and infrastructure.
- the regulated social opening: openings at metros cúbicos are strictly alcohol-free. we use sobriety as an intentional pedagogical tool to counter passive networking and social numbness. artists are expected to co-design opening evening protocols that actively engage random street viewers, local neighbors, and passersby in clear-headed, deliberate dialogue.
proposal requirements
interested artists and collectives should submit a single pdf, image or video containing:
- project concept & visual materials (max 2 pages): a description of the proposed artwork/installation and how it engages with the spatial, ecological, or socio-political themes of metros cúbicos.
- mutual-aid mechanism (1 page): a detailed plan for how the project will generate funds for the medical care subsidy.
- installation & labor plan (1 page): outline of your hands-on installation process, technical requirements, and how you plan to adapt the residual hospital space.
- artist bio / portfolio: relevant past work or collective experience (max 3 pages).
submission & inquiries
please send all proposals and inquiries to [___click___]