Martin Wannam

Guatemala, Guatemala, 1992

With an equatorial gaze that intersects the brown and the wild, his iconoclastic and maximalist approach challenges dominant narratives through photography, sculpture and performance art. He studied at the University of New Mexico, La Fototeca and Universidad Rafael Landívar. His work has been exhibited at New York University, the Roots & Culture Contemporary Art Center, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Panamá, the Houston Art League, Project Row House, as well as the Paiz Art Biennial. He has also shown his work at Photo Pride and Rotterdam Photo in the Netherlands. He is part of the collectives Fronteristxs and Becoming Sticky Collective.

 

Crédito de foto / Photo credit

Martín Wannam. La CYVA, 2024. Vista de instalación. Sede: Museo Nacional de Arte de Guatemala. Foto: Byron Mármol. Cortesía: Fundación Paiz / Bienal de Arte Paiz

Martín Wannam. The CYVA, 2024. 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
La CYVA

2024
Instalación inflable
456 cm
Cortesía del artista

Transformando el espacio público en un espacio de visibilidad, afirmación y festejo, esta instalación conecta las tradiciones ancestrales con las expresiones contemporáneas. Inspirada en la sagrada ceiba, árbol ancestral en la cosmología maya y símbolo nacional de Guatemala, La CYVA de tonalidades rosa y amarillo actúa como un puente simbólico entre lo institucional y las identidades queer marginalizadas. A través de su presencia imponente pero lúdica, la obra reconfigura el espacio urbano y cuestiona qué cuerpos tienen derecho a ocupar y transformar lo público. Sus colores evocan tanto la bandera del orgullo como elementos de la cultura visual guatemalteca, creando un diálogo entre identidad cuir y pertenencia nacional.

ENG
The CYVA

2024
Inflatable installation
456 cm
Courtesy of the artist

Transforming public space into a space of visibility, affirmation, and celebration, this installation connects ancestral traditions with contemporary expressions. Inspired by the sacred ceiba tree, an ancestral tree in Mayan cosmology and national symbol of Guatemala, The CYVA, with its pink and yellow tones, acts as a symbolic bridge between the institutional and marginalized queer identities. Through its imposing yet playful presence, the work reconfigures urban space and questions which bodies have the right to occupy and transform the public sphere. Its colors evoke both the pride flag and elements of Guatemalan visual culture, creating a dialogue between queer identity and national belonging.