Andrés Curruchich Cúmez, a prominent self-taught painter from the Kaqchikel people, is widely regarded as the most influential artist in Guatemala. Procesión: patrón de San Juan está en su trono (1966) captures the vibrant June celebration of Saint John, the revered patron saint of San Juan Comalapa, after whom the Kaqchikel city was named following Spanish colonisation. The painting features colourful altars, embellished with feathers and small flags, dedicated to the saint. Devotees, in their reverence, carry the altars while holding their hats alongside their bodies and walking barefoot. Curruchich’s distinctive signature lies at the base of the canvas. The adoption of Christianity by Indigenous populations in the Americas was an intricate and often conflicting process, marked by coercive conversion methods such as land deprivation and the destruction of Indigenous cultures and traditions. Today, many Indigenous peoples in the Americas practice a syncretised form of Christianity that incorporates elements of their traditional beliefs and religious practices.
This is the first time the work of Andrés Curruchich is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Amanda Carneiro
