San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Chiapas, México
Notes on the Exhibition and the Works, this exhibition, “Self-Consultation with Art”, by Saúl Kak (Guayabal-Rayón, 1985), brings together materials and artworks from the artist’s production over the past three years. At Galería MUY, we are pleased to have shared with Kak rich and profound experiences related to this important project of “political art,” “participatory art,” and “process-based art”—an extraordinary example of contemporary Zoque art.
In response to the usual “non-consultations” carried out by the government, Zoque intellectuals and activist artists propose their concept of “self-consultation” through assemblies, protests, and, in this case, artistic research. They draw from lived experience, reflect through artistic language and gestures, and create powerful symbologies that resonate both with their own people and with others. The artist creates affective layers—rooted in reverence for ecological themes, historical exposé, and the mockery of the conscious Indigenous artist—knowing that power often acts in a tragically farcical way.
The information below was compiled by the artist with the support of Martha Alejandro, collaborator at Galería MUY.
BACKGROUND
Two hydroelectric dams, “Nezahualcóyotl/Malpaso” and “Chicoasén/Manuel Torres Bodet,” were built along the Grijalva River in 1958 and 1966. Both dams occupy Zoque territory. The Malpaso dam flooded the community of Quechula, while the Chicoasén dam flooded Osumacinta. The government promised relocation, basic services, electricity, and a major development plan to the affected residents—most of which was never fulfilled.
In 2014, the construction of another dam began: Chicoasén II, downstream from the Manuel Torres Bodet dam. In exchange for 180 hectares of land, the government offered 142 projects: 77 social projects and 65 productive projects, with an investment of 105.8 million pesos. They claimed it would light all of Tuxtla and generate 571 megawatts per year. However, affected residents report that none of the promised benefits exist. Worse yet, the sacred site where they held their ceremonies was destroyed with explosives, as it was precisely there that the dam wall was built.
The communities living with the dams along the Grijalva River belong to the Zoque culture. For 15 days at a time, they are left without electricity. When the service is restored, it lasts 5 days before going out again. Electricity tariffs are high, and failures are constant. The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) does not fix them. People report problems to the CFE office in Copainalá but are ignored; the CFE offers no solutions. It deeply pains us that a man from La Nueva (a community affected by the dam) nearly died after an accident while trying to fix the electricity problem himself. Residents oppose the construction of the new dam, as it brings not benefits but destruction.
The people of Quechula were relocated to the edges of the reservoir. They say fishermen must sell their catch the same day because, without reliable electricity and with the high temperatures, the fish spoil quickly. The community believes they should not have to pay for electricity until a fair agreement is reached.
FLOODS AND SURVIVALS: DISPOSSESSION OF TERRITORY AND ZOQUE RESISTANCE
(from Chicoasén II to the Oil Well Project)
In 2015, I began the project “Floods and Survivals”, in collaboration with Galería MUY in San Cristóbal de Las Casas. This project is made up of artistic works that emerged from research and reflection around what was happening during the construction of the Chicoasén II dam. It documents how the Zoque peoples have been dispossessed of their lands under the banner of modernity.
This interest stems from my own Zoque identity. As an artist, I am concerned about the changes occurring within my culture. For the Zoque people, the land is like “our mother,” the one who gives us life. The state’s politics have been those of dispossession, without consulting the people. Projects in Zoque regions have been imposed by force.
The aim of this artistic project is to create a relevant narrative for my community—and for other audiences—one that allows for a complex experience of this situation, along with reflection and action. The project includes several components developed over the past three years, some of which have already been shared with my community as well as exhibited in San Cristóbal de Las Casas and Tuxtla, Chiapas.
Artworks
The destruction
Acrylic on canvas
120 x 120 cm
2016
“There are no more trees, mamacita—they destroyed everything around the river, it’s all bare, completely dug up!”
—A woman from the community of La Nueva describes the current state of the sacred place of her ancestors.
First demonstrations in Zoque communities
Acrylic on canvas
33 x 61 cm
2017
“This painting refers to one of the first marches by the communities. When they found out they were going to be dispossessed of their lands, people began to protest. At the beginning of the struggle, there were only a few. In the painting, the circles symbolize the people marching. The mountains and the figures above represent beings that protect the mountains—and the sun is also present.”
The heart
Acrylic on canvas
50 x 60 cm
2018
“For Indigenous peoples, the land is their mother—it gives them sustenance; it is life itself. These communities have been going through difficult times for a while now in Mexico. There is a policy of dispossession (through the agrarian program known as Procede). Some communities accepted Procede and are already suffering the consequences.”
The beings of the earth
Acrylic on canvas
50 x 60cm
2018
“This piece represents the land, which is being looted and exploited. The horned figures symbolize the surface of Mother Earth, but also the ambition of men, who are slowly killing her, extracting her energy, her strength from the land. If they continue to plunder it, it will cause an imbalance. The gods depicted below are the ones who protect the Earth.”
The kitchen of the piowachugue
Acrylic on canvas
60 x 60 cm
2018
“In Zoque belief, it is said that the volcano had a guardian who, in the morning, appeared as a girl, at midday as a young woman, and at night as an old woman. Days before the eruption, she went house to house inviting people to her birthday celebration. People didn’t pay much attention, thinking she was from another community. But in the following days, the eruption began—many people were buried, and others were evacuated. The government took them to different shelters, and they lost everything they had. They were relocated to different municipalities, and it was hard for them to adapt to the new climate and to the land, which was not as fertile as they were used to.”
The door
Acrylic on canvas
60 x 60 cm
2018
“Our peoples have cosmovisions—ways of seeing the universe. There is a place where we must give an account to our ancestors; it is called the ipstojk (which means ‘twenty houses’). Mother Earth is being destroyed, wounded, depleted. And it is we, Zoque women and men, who must give that account. The question is: what will we tell our ancestors? History places us, in this 21st century, on the side of defending our Mother Earth. The Zoque people have said no to the dispossession of our lands. In assembly, our communities firmly say to the state: No to extractive projects.”
The turtle
Acrylic on canvas
110 x 91 cm
2018
“We live in times where money and power are the main motivations for large corporations and our rulers. They dispossess us of our lands, regardless of the damage they cause to the environment or our health.”
“In this work, the turtle represents the Earth, which is being wounded by the oil extraction towers. There are also the large city buildings, which simulate development. On the other side, there are the small communities living in harmony, far from the city. Beneath the turtle, we find a snail representing the treasure that the companies want to take. We can see ants and other beings defending our Mother Earth.”
Zoques getting organized
Acrylic on canvas
70 x 60 cm
2018
“In 2016, the federal government had intentions of affecting municipalities in the northern region of Chiapas, which corresponds to Zoque territory, with the aim of extracting hydrocarbons. It was then that the affected communities decided to organize and prevent the entry of foreign companies for the dispossession of their lands, as the daily life of the inhabitants depends on their lands, with the cultivation of corn, beans, coffee, pumpkin, and fruit trees.”
“This painting refers to the assembly and agreements made on March 25, 2018, in Francisco León, where the communities were buried when the Chichonal volcano erupted. Thirty-six years after the eruption, a call to defend the territory arose, with several Zoque towns and communities attending. A strong message to the government was: No to hydrocarbons, No to mining, No to geothermal energy, and No to all extractive and dispossession projects.”
