:: 2017 :: 135cm x 60cm in 3 panels :: Acrylics, Inks and Markers on Canvas ::
Early in 2017 I had the good fortune of being invited to exhibit at an indigenous and shamanic gathering called ‘Llamado de la Montaña’ (Call of the Mountain) being held in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in Northern Colombia in December 2017. I decided to propose a new artwork expressing the immanent presence of the indigenous ancestors of the people of Colombia. A few years ago, I made a study of Muisca art, and particularly the tunjo, golden votive plaques depicting chieftains, priests and sacred figures moulded out of gold alloy. They were used probably only once for a single ritual, at the end of which the tunjo were cast into sacred rivers and lakes as offerings to the gods. Archaeologists have found hundreds of them, and each is unique: some of them are 1500 years old, some of them much younger.
There is a prophecy among the indigenous peoples of the Santa Marta region that the Muiscas will one day return, and join the indigenous peoples of the Santa Marta. When I read this, I immediately saw in its fullest form the visionary image that I should create: the tunjo emerging from the waters to be reunited with their people, the ancestors coming home. This vision shimmered clear, vivid and true in my eyes. As I gazed with more focus, I could see that the five tunjo were not only chieftains, powerful women and ancestors, they were also gods…
… Bachué (in the centre) the First Woman who emerged from Lake Iguaque, carrying her son in her arms…
… Sué (second from left) the Sun God, shining upon us all and casting shadows which the Muisca believed were spirits…
… Chía (second from right) the Moon Goddess, changing her triple face as the Moon waxes and wanes…
… Bochica (far right) the Teacher of the Muisca, wise man, creator of civilisation, coming from the East…
… Huitaca (far left) the Goddess of Happiness and Sexual Ecstasy, reminding us that our bodies are sacred too…
The artwork is this visionary image, these five ancestors dressed as gods, re-emerging from the sacred waters of Lake Iguaque, to evoke the prophecy of the return of the Muisca. But also, since Muisca means ‘human’, it is to re-evoke the deepest truth within us all: to remember where we have come from and through this, to know ourselves as human beings – our (pre)history as well as our present – to create a future not merely of surviving but of wellness and holism.
Left to right: Huitaca, Chía, Bachué, Sué and Bochica
Bachué
Sué
Chía
Bochica
Huitaca
