​

The group exhibition el ombligo del mundo ventures into the realm of spirituality, taking as a starting point the ancestral relationship between spiritual practices and the earth (the soil). It makes an attempt to approach the complexity of specific rituals and aspects of the cosmovision of indigenous communities in Guatemala, México and the Peruvian Amazon, while underscoring the dangers of a romanticised vision of indigenous spiritual practices, of over simplified narratives when facing non-western epistemologies. In parallel, the exhibition investigates a phenomenological approach to nature and the possible spiritual dimension of the everyday rituals that bring humans close to nature.  Read the full curatorial text here 

​

With works by Antonio Pichillá, Benvenuto Chavajay, Exinto x Geoide, Felipe Castelblanco, Fréderic Bron & Judith Weidmann and Mazenett Quiroga. Additional works for parallel events by Paloma Ayala, Paula Baeza Pailamilla, Raquel Cecilia (Corazón Pictures) and Yana Lema Otavalo. Space design and logo by Boca del Tigre (Perla Castañón)

 

el ombligo del mundo is the third and last exhibition of the series “Earth is the heaviest element” which addresses the need to de-construct and re-construct our relationship to the earth, other humans and non-human entities. The exhibitions bring together the knowledge and practices of Latin American and Swiss artists and scientists, in order to suggest alternative ways of co-existing.

Curated by Adriana Domínguez.

​

The exhibition runs until February 29th, 2024

 

Opening hours 

15.2 , 16.2, 4-7pm

17.2. & 22.2., 5-7pm

25.2., 6.30 - 10pm (screening from 7-8pm)

29.2., 5-7pm 

and by appointment 

​

Program of events during the exhibition 
Sunday February 25th, 2024 

Video-screening evening, 7pm (doors open 6.30pm)

In the three videos presented on this evening, the artists immerse themselves in the jungle or the forest, following the steps of other people who visited the same places under very different circumstances. A dream, a journey into one's ancestry and the other side of healing plants are intertwined with the artist's own need to inscribe their bodies in nature. The full program lasts approx. 45min. 

 

Smells of the Jungle by Felipe Castelblanco (visual artist) 

Far from an idealised depiction of the jungle, Felipe Castelblanco presents in his short video one of the many stories of the tough side of it. 

 

Wüfko by Paula Baeza Pailamilla (visual and performance artist)

Wüfko is an eye of water, a spring of great purity and also the name of a sacred site in the forest of Challupen. A Mapuche woman tells us the dream she had about this place, revealing a kimün (knowledge) linked to her own body sensitivity.

 

Whispering Cave by Raquel Cecilia (filmmaker, Corazón Pictures)

In 1981, artist Ana Mendieta created several sculptures in the caves of Jaruco, Cuba. 36 years later, her niece becomes convinced that the lost cave is a myth and she sets out on a journey to find it.

 

Wednesday February 28th, 2024

Workshop Poetry of the Plants

In Peguche, a Kichwa community in Ecuador, textile art is one of the main activities, and also a form of writing. For the poet, translator, artist and activist Yana Lema Otavalo - currently in residence at the Translation House Looren - these forms of writing that go beyond the word allow us to enter into dialogue with the other realms of nature, and also with the ancestral and spiritual world.What is the writing of plants and what is their poetry? This workshop on plant poetry and embroidery on paper invites participants to discover it.

​

Event in collaboration with Looren América Latina, Biblioraloteca Muyu and Latin American Center Zürich of the Zürich University.

 

The workshop has a duration of 2 hours and the materials will be provided in the space. After the workshop we will have a small Apéro.  * The workshop is full, but you can register for the waiting list at: lacapsula.zh@gmail.com

​

​