Antonio Pichillá
"Semilla", 2025
fios de lã e sisal
wool thread and maguey fiber
wool thread and maguey fiber
195 x 120 cm
77 x 47 in
77 x 47 in
An indigenous artist from the Mayan Tz’utujil people, Antonio Pichillá works with a variety of media, but finds textile weaving as his main focus of interest. For him, the processes...
An indigenous artist from the Mayan Tz’utujil people, Antonio Pichillá works with a variety of media, but finds textile weaving as his main focus of interest. For him, the processes and materials that involve textile traditions represent a way of rescuing his ancestry, especially through the memory of the women of his own family. His research is also based on the collectivity, culture and symbols of his people, native from the Lake Atitlan region (Guatemala).
Also evoking the cyclical nature of life, Semilla [Seed] (2025) – “ijatz” in Maya Tz’utujil – was inspired by one of the twenty days of the Maya calendar that signifies creation and abundance, represented by the four colors of corn: red, yellow, black, and white. In this piece, the artist unfolds threads that symbolize the soil, and over them places a tangle of wool knots representing newly planted seeds awaiting the rain to germinate.
Artista indígena do povo Maia Tz’utujil, Antonio Pichillá trabalha com suportes variados, mas encontra na tecelagem seu principal foco de interesse. Para ele, os processos e materiais que envolvem as tradições têxteis representam uma forma de resgatar sua ancestralidade, fortalecendo especialmente a memória das mulheres de sua família. Sua pesquisa baseia-se também na coletividade, cultura e símbolos de seu povo, natural da região do Lago Atitlan (Guatemala).
Referindo-se ao ciclos da vida, "Semilla" (2025), ou “semente” em português e "ljatz" em Maia Tz'utujil, foi inspirada em um dos vinte dias do calendário maia que significa criação e abundância, representado pelas quatro cores do milho: vermelho, amarelo, preto e branco. Nela, o artista desdobra alguns fios, que simbolizam o solo, e sobre eles são emaranhados nós de lã representando as sementes recém-plantadas, aguardando a chuva para germinar.