FGV Arte opens this Wednesday, 6 May, the exhibition Eu chorei rios: arte dos povos originários da América [I Cried Rivers: Art of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas], bringing together artists from different Latin American territories in a broad reflection on contemporary art grounded in Indigenous cosmologies. Among the highlights of the exhibition is the participation of Guatemalan artist Antonio Pichillá, in the Tramas section, with the work “Abuela”.

In this piece, Pichillá explores the richness of Mayan textile knowledge, traditionally developed by women and passed down through generations. Inspired by ancestral weaving techniques, threads are arranged in multiple directions, combining fibres such as maguey, while braids formed at the fringes evoke grandmothers’ hairstyles, a symbol of memory and cultural continuity. The work also points to the resistance of Mayan Indigenous women, who continue to preserve traditional clothing practices as a form of identity and cultural affirmation. By bringing these elements into the realm of contemporary art, Pichillá expands the understanding of materiality, territory, and heritage.

The Tramas section, in which the artist participates, establishes dialogues with other significant names in the exhibition, such as Djanira, Daiara Tukano, representatives of the Mehinako people of the Upper Xingu, and Gustavo Caboco. Together, the works explore textile as both an aesthetic and political language, connecting ancestry, identity, and ways of being.

Curated by Glicéria Tupinambá and Paulo Herkenhoff, the exhibition brings together paintings, sculptures, objects, installations, and audiovisual productions, proposing an expanded reading of Latin American art. The exhibition runs until 20 September, with free admission, at FGV’s headquarters in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro.

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