Jeff Cán Xicay
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ARTIST PROFILE
Patzicía, Guatemala, 2004
Her practice is built from a material and conceptual investigation of traditional textiles, exploring their techniques, structures and possibilities of deconstruction. Through weaving, she addresses relationships between territory, memory, affection and resistance, articulating processes from the everyday and reflection. His work has been shown in Guatemalan platforms such as the Biennial in Resistance, Perjura Project and La Clase 87. He has collaborated with the Kaqjay Community Association. In 2025 he was selected for a scholarship in the MASS MoCA Program.
Crédito de foto / Photo credit
Jeff Cán Xicay en colaboración con la Asociación Comunitaria Kaqjay. Ri qa rayb’äl / Los deseos nuestros, 2025. Vista de instalación. Sede: Museo Nacional de Arte de Guatemala. Foto: Byron Mármol. Cortesía: Fundación Paiz / Bienal de Arte Paiz
Jeff Cán Xicay in colaboration with the Kaqjay Community Association. Ri qa rayb’äl / Our desires, 2025. Installation view. Venue: Museo Nacional de Arte de Guatemala. Photo: Byron Mármol. Courtesy: Fundación Paiz / Bienal de Arte Paiz
Obra participante en la bienal
ES
Ri qa rayb’äl / Los deseos nuestros
2025
Instalación textil
Dimensiones variables
Cortesía del artista
Comisionada para la 24 Bienal de Arte Paiz
Ri qa rayb’äl / Los deseos nuestros es una instalación inspirada en las voces de las personas del pueblo Maya Kaqchikel de Patzicia, Chimaltenango. En ella se reúnen frases del libro comunitario Kaqjay (2006-////) de la asociación comunitaria Kaqjay que expresan deseos, resistencia y memoria.
A través de cuatro telares de cintura dispuestos en un espacio ritualizado conocido como Mokan, (casa de lo sagrado en Kaqchikel), y acompañados de sonidos y objetos ceremoniales, esta instalación convierte las palabras de la comunidad en un altar y cuerpo vivo, honrando tanto la palabra como el tejido, consideradas herramientas sagradas, y los deseos colectivos que han tejido futuro a lo largo de generaciones.
EN
Ri qa rayb’äl / Our desires
2025
Textile installation
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned for the 24th Paiz Art Biennial
Ri qa rayb’äl / Our desires is an installation inspired by the voices of the people of the Maya Kaqchikel community of Patzicía, Chimaltenango. It brings together phrases from the community book Kaqjay (2006-////) of the Kaqjay Community Association that express longing, resistance, and historical memory.
Through four backstrap looms arranged in a ritualized space known as Mokan (house of the sacred” in Kaqchikel) and accompanied by ceremonial sounds and objects, the installation transforms the community’s words into an altar and a living body, honoring both language and weaving, considered sacred tools, as well as the collective desires that have woven a future across generations.