Manuel Chavajay 1982
Manuel Chavajay (b. 1982, San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala), is a Tz’utujil Maya artist, working across a wide range of media, including sculpture, painting, and video. His work bears strong ties to the artist's indigenous origins. Primarily inhabiting the Lake Atitlán region in the highlands of Guatemala, the Tz’tujil have their own unique language, culture, and traditions that distinguish them from within the broader Mayan cultural spectrum. Making Tz’utujil language and land a frequent reference in his work, the practice of Manuel Chavajay explores, through the construction of small narratives, themes connected to the complex history of Guatemala, its indigenous heritage, struggle for independence, and more recent efforts towards stability and development. Land in this context is not merely seen as a resource but as a core aspect of indigenous identity, tracing historical connections and cultural practices and pointing at the multifaceted relationship between indigenous cultures and nature, which encompass complex spiritual, cultural, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions.
Cheen (b. 1983, Guatemala) is a Maya Tz'utujil poet and visual artist from San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala, located on the shores of Lake Atitlán. Her artistic practice is deeply rooted in her heritage and the experiences of her community. Cheen often collaborates with Manuel Chavajay (Guatemalan, b. 1982), to create works that address their shared experiences as members of an indigenous cultural group that has profoundly shaped Guatemala's identity.
Their collaborative works explore themes of Mayan cosmology, nature, and healing, serving as a means to process the collective trauma endured by hundreds of families, including their own, during Guatemala’s violent armed conflict. Cheen’s solo practice is equally tied to cultural preservation, as she has been documenting her dreams since 2008 and reviving ancestral knowledge, such as the use of medicinal plants, since 2010.
Her works, informed by the stories, landscapes, and spirituality of the Maya Tz'utujil, are a poignant testament to the resilience and vitality of her cultural heritage. Cheen has recently debuted at the 23rd Paiz Art Biennial in Guatemala.
