Jeff Cán Xicay's Community Weaving Installation at Paiz Biennial

During the 24th Paiz Art Biennial in Guatemala, Jeff Cán Xicay, a Kaqchikel weaver, unveiled his installation titled Ri Qa Ray’bäl (Our Desires), developed in collaboration with the Kaqjay Community Association. This artwork features local archival photographs, dialogues with elder women from the town, weaving, stones, and aspects of both home and ceremonial spaces. Cán Xicay highlighted the importance of integrating community processes into formal settings, expressing a desire to prevent misunderstandings from the town, where they might think, 'We don’t understand, but other people probably will.' The installation is showcased at the National Museum of Art of Guatemala (MUNAG) from November 6, 2025, to February 15, 2026. Cán Xicay also mentioned the Kaqchikel chronicle Memorial de Sololá and his 2025 piece Muxux, which involves burying umbilical cords. Together with Edi Tocón, he curated the photographs, intentionally omitting those that could perpetuate stereotypes about indigenous people. The theme of the biennial is El Árbol del Mundo (The Tree of the World).