Paula Nicho Cumez is a Maya painter based in Comapala, Guatemala. Nicho’s paintings acknowledge the balance and reciprocity of the natural and spiritual worlds as an essential component to the restoration of indigenous self-determination. Dream symbolism plays a central role in her creations. The paintings produced for the Exhibition depict women keenly aware of their own power, resembling ancient Maya goddesses of healing, fertility, and weaving. They appear naked, covered with vibrant, colourful, Indigenous geometrical shapes and motifs. The images are a response to the artist’s memories of not being allowed to wear Indigenous clothing at school during her childhood. Nicho transforms that pain into affirmative representations where Maya patterns come out as women’s real skin. She counters a history of colonisation and Western assimilation while uplifting the value and beauty of Maya textile design, prominently expressed in the huipil – a traditional, hand-woven garment whose patterns reflect collective memories, knowledge, and political histories.
This is the first time the work of Paula Nicho is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Miguel López
