ernesto neto + the huni kuin tribe turn vienna's TBA21 into a spiritual space

ernesto neto + the huni kuin tribe turn vienna’s TBA21 into a spiritual space
(above) nixiforestkupixawa, 2015
cotton, straw, paint, and wood / 650 x 1550 x 1010 cm
installation view: ernesto neto and the huni kuin: aru kuxpia | sacret secret, TBA21-augarten
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 / courtesy ernesto neto

ernesto neto and the huni kuin: aru kuxipa | sacred secret
TBA21, augarten, vienna; in collaboration with kunsthalle krems 
now through october 25, 2015

unfolding across several venues and involving the collaboration of hundreds of minds from across the world, the exhibition ‘aru kuxipa | sacred secret’ expresses the vision of brazilian artist ernesto neto and teachings of indigenous amazonian tribes. within the TBA21 in vienna, neto — together with 37 jordão huni kuin communities — has co-created a place of creative transformation, an investigation into the spiritual nature of objects, and a site of healing. the collaborative journey and the resulting artworks shares the tribes’ sacred forms of expression, art, ritual, and knowledge through oral history, music, drawings, weavings, and everyday objects.

canoekenejaguarpatalamplight (canoakeneonçapawlampadaluz), 2015
wood, cotton, lavender, glass, crystal, and candles / 338 x 525 x 525 cm
installation view: ernesto neto and the huni kuin: aru kuxpia | sacret secret:TBA21-augarten
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 / courtesy ernesto neto

the exhibition opens with ‘a gente se encontra aqui hoje, amanhã em outro lugar. enquanto isso deus é deusa. santa gravidade’ (we meet each other today, tomorrow in another place. in the meanwhile, god is goddess. saint gravity). fashioned from weightless pink and greenish polyamide forms, the various organic shapes are suspended from the ceiling and intertwined in a voluptuous embrace. 

canoekenejaguarpatalamplight (canoakeneonçapawlampadaluz), 2015
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 / courtesy ernesto neto

the spiritual center of the exhibition is marked by ‘kupiforesunixawa’, a communal space that hosts spiritual rituals of healing, relaxation, contemplation, and gathering. crocheted from green, pink, and orange ribbons and spiced with lavender, clove, and turmeric, the tent-like structure borrows the forms of the huni kuin’s central place of social and spiritual assembly. diamond patterns decorate the transparent net membrane, casting shadows of serpent shapes onto the floor. beneath it, a green marble table from guatemala is engraved with shapes of the jiboia and a pajé with maraca and holds candles and objects by the huni kuin. 

pedragibolagoduabusé (stonepythonduabusélake), 2015
guatemala marble, polyamide, quartz sand / 8 x 140 x 165 cm
installation view: ernesto neto and the huni kuin: aru kuxpia | sacret secret: TBA21-augarten
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 / courtesy ernesto neto

additionally, una isĩ kayawa (the ‘book of healing’) compiles descriptions of the 109 plant species used by the huni kuin and their applications in various curative treatments — a practice that, for the tribe, must be approached with the greatest respect and thoughtfulness.

a gente se encontra aqui hoje, amanhã em outro lugar. enquanto isso deus é deusa. santa gravidade, 2003
polyamide, styrofoam, and rice / 650 x 630 x 1620 cm
installation view: ernesto neto and the huni kuin: aru kuxpia | sacret secret:TBA21-augarten
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 | thyssen-bornemisza art contemporary collection, vienna

the exhibition, conceived as a personal tribute to the huni kuin, weaves between a space of preparation, to a sacred area of ritual, to a room of study and knowledge, and finally culminates in the community’s multiple voices of myths and songs. 

a gente se encontra aqui hoje, amanhã em outro lugar. enquanto isso deus é deusa. santa gravidade, 2003 
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 | thyssen-bornemisza art contemporary collection, vienna

a gente se encontra aqui hoje, amanhã em outro lugar. enquanto isso deus é deusa. santa gravidade, 2003
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 | thyssen-bornemisza art contemporary collection, vienna

o tempo lento do corpo que é pele, 2004
polyamide, foam, wood, and spices / 150 x 680 x 950 cm
installation view: ernesto neto and the huni kuin: aru kuxpia | sacret secret: tba21-augarten & belvedere
photo by jens ziehe, vienna 2015 | thyssen-bornemisza art contemporary collection, vienna