cultural sculpture

Wayan Rendah has captures the spiritual qualities of a beautiful Janger dancer via the gentle swaying movements of this traditional Balinese dance. The Janger is performed by twelve young girls and twelve young boys who sit in opposing rows, taking turns in singing a local melody. The girls sing a soft harmonious piece swaying gently, contrasting with the sharp yells and angular motions of the boys. The beautiful dancer in this piece conveys a state of spiritual bliss as she curves her waist to the music. Carved from local suar wood, the dancer's exotic costume is crowned by an elaborate dazzling headdress. In one hand she daintily holds an open fan.

A Mayan noblewoman sits atop a base in this sculpture from Guatemala, hand-carved of cedar wood in the style of traditional Jaina-style sculptures. Jaina refers to a small island off the coast of Mexico where a collection of pre-Columbian carvings and sculptures were found. Guatemalan artisan Nicolas Chavez Sojuel emulates the Jaina style, adding cultural details to the subject, such as an enlarged cranium, scars across the cheeks, and small bulges on the left shoulder, indicative of ancient Mayan body alterations that were popular at the time.

Wearing only a belt, necklace, and bracelets, this Mayan goddess is realized with striking detail in cedar wood. Nicolas Chavez Sojuel explores Guatemala's Mayan roots, working with local artisans to hand-carve this sculpture. According to Sojuel, this sculpture reflects the story of the God of Maize's resurrection. According to the story, there exist nude goddesses in the Mayan underworld, Xibalbá, who tend to the god and dress him in preparation for his resurrection. One of these goddesses is portrayed in this sculpture.

Guatemalan artisan Nicolas Chavez Sojuel designs a sculpture to depict a Mayan midwife standing atop a base, carving it by hand of cedar wood. Small details, such as the decorations on her clothing, the jewelry she wears, and her elaborate headdress are realized with a keen eye. In ancient Mayan society, Mayan noblewomen and midwives often wore decorative headdresses in order to accommodate enlarged craniums due to body alteration practices.

A Mayan midwife is realized in cedar atop a pinewood base. Guatemalan artist Nicolas Chavez Sojuel hand-carves this sculpture, detailing the midwife's elaborate jewelry and headdress. She sits with legs crossed, a child held close to her breast. For the artist, this sculpture presents a view of quotidian Mayan life, as the midwives would often take their children along with them as they worked.

A Maya woman sits with legs crossed as she works on a backstrap loom. Rocking back and forth she controls the tension as she creates an expanse of cloth. "This movement represented the human heartbeat, thus weaving was a sacred act for the ancient Maya, and weavers were considered the 'mothers of creation,'" Nicolas Chavez Sojuel explains. He works in fragrant cedar wood to depict his subject as realistically as did the pre-Hispanic ceramists of Jaina Island more than a thousand years ago in their "Female Figure with Loom." Deftly carving intricate details with superb realism, the Guatemalan artisan dresses the woman in a necklace of pinewood beads.