The True Weight of Mate
Misiones, Argentina — 2025
César Masachessi
Documentary Photographer — Argentina
Projects
Coming soon
Untitled Project
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The True Weight of Mate is a documentary photography project that examines the lived reality behind one of Argentina's most emblematic cultural practices: the consumption of yerba mate. Developed in Misiones Province, it follows the lives and labor of tareferos and tareferas during the harvest season and the long periods of unemployment that follow.
The work focuses on the structural inequalities that sustain this industry: long days in the heat and rain, loads that can weigh up to 130 kilograms, and payment per ton that rarely covers basic living costs.
I am César Masachessi, an Argentine documentary photographer. My work focuses on labor, territory, and everyday life, developed through long-term projects and sustained engagement with the communities I photograph.
I studied Photography at the Lino Enea Spilimbergo School of Arts in Córdoba, Argentina. In 2019, I received the Innovart grant, which allowed me to take part in a documentary photography workshop in Arles, France, led by Gilles Saussier. In 2025, I participated in the Latin American Documentary Photography Lab, which concluded with a collective exhibition at the II Medellín Photographic Festival.
I am currently developing long-term documentary projects, including The True Weight of Mate, an ongoing body of work about the lives and labor of yerba mate harvesters in Misiones, Argentina.