Edgar Callel: Corn Mountain of Life

About the Exhibition

This exhibition centers on an installation by Guatemalan artist Edgar Calel, presenting cultural elements from his Maya-Kaqchikel family and community at the Art Institute of Chicago. The work fuses practical necessity with ceremonial meaning, seeking to reinterpret cultural identity and tradition in the language of contemporary art. Key work is the large-scale installation titled 'Corn Mountain of Life (Ixim Juyu K'aslem),' which appears to be built around corn, a symbol of agriculture and life. The exhibition was held at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023, with Calel's work focused on exploring the relationship between tradition and modernity, the individual and the community. Within the exhibition space, visitors can experience the depth of Maya culture and the artist's exploration of identity through a range of materials and forms, with the installation's spatial arrangement and symbolic meaning standing out as highlights.