Two works from the project “Naj Tunich” (2018) by Pablo Vargas Lugo can now be seen as part of the 22 Bienal de Arte Paiz in Antigua Guatemala, until June 6th. The video “Luz y Sonido” [Light and Sound] takes us to Naj Tunich caves in Petén, Guatemala, close to the border with Belize. This place holds the most important record of Maya cave paintings that has been discovered up to now. After being severely damaged and vandalized since its discovery in 1979, the site has remained closed to visitors for more than 30 years.

Playing with lights and nature sound effects, the artist offers to approach the graphic and geological elements of the cave by presenting them as a heterogenous and sculptural assemblage where all temporalities vanish. In addition to the video projection, a vinyl drawing installation reinterprets the cave paintings, distorting them through different optical and material processes.

This is the first time that this project is presented in Guatemala.