Ticnu
This intimate work is presented in an ovoid arrangement and calibrated to coincide with the trajectory of the sun/moon on the equinox of 2022 in the legacy of Andean practice of astronomical alignment. Embodying the concept of Nepantla or “in-between-ness” from the Nahuatl word of “middle,” Koyoltzintli draws from ancestral practices of indigenous land stewardship to acknowledge climate change and initiate the process of environmental remediation. Produced in workshops with the public over the summer, Koyoltzintli presents ceramic ofrendas or “offerings” to the Earth, in forms of local flora and fauna species that are threatened by climate change.
Video by: KMDeco Creative Solutions: Mark DiConzo. Video created with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Courtesy Socrates Sculpture Park, 2022.
Related Programs & Activations
“Ofrendas” Sculpture Workshop
August 14, 2022
In conjunction with
We are one only heart, one only earth, one only soul
featuring Bel Falleiros
Closing day of Subterranean Tropicália Projects: PN15 1971/2022
Koyo held the workshop “Ofrendas” with participants creating miniature clay figurines that represented the fauna and flora around Socrates Sculpture Park. The small sculptures became part of Ticnu. Learn more about the workshop HERE >>>
Inauguration of Ticnu
September 10, 2022
During the opening celebration of Sink or Swim: Climate Futures and New Agora, on September 10th, Koyo activated Ticnu with an inaugural ritual which included smoke, sound, and ceramic instruments.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Koyoltzintli, is an interdisciplinary artist, a healer and educator living in the Northeast. She grew up on the pacific coast and the Andean mountains in Ecuador, geographies that permeate in her work. She focuses on geopoetics, ancestral technologies, ritual and storytelling through collaborative processes and personal narratives. Intersectional theories, and earth-based healing informs her practice. Nominated for Prix Pictet in 2019, her work has been exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, the United Nations, Aperture Foundation in NYC, and Paris Photo, among others. She has been an artist in residence in the US, France, and Italy and has taught at CalArts, SVA, ICP, and CUNY. Rivadeneira has received multiple awards and fellowships including the Photographic Fellowship at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, NYFA Fellowship, and the IA grant by the Queens Council of the Arts. Her first monograph Other Stories was published in 2017 by Autograph ABP, her work was featured in the Native issue of Aperture Magazine (no. 240). in 2021, her work was included in the book Latinx Photography in the United States by Elizabeth Ferrer, chief curator at BRIC.
Image: Christopher Villafuerte
Instagram: @Koyoltzintli