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Bi-monthtly Edition / Version en Español

• Planting Harmony Amid the Chaos
  (Multimedia exposition)
• IXIM
• The Mayan Kings
• New Originals

Planting Harmony Amid the Chaos Multimedia Exposition (October 26, 2001)

All the lights were out. The gallery was dark but for the ethereal glow of a hundred candles, lighting up the works in sculpture which made up the collection known as 'Planting Harmony Amid the Chaos'. As guests made their way quietly around the pieces, you could feel an almost temple or churchlike atmosphere. And this was right, because this was only one part of a ritual put on by Renato and his team to remind us of the need to bind together as a human race when so much around us feels like it's crumbling.

The show featured the carvings, sculptures and ceramics from Renato Dorfman, new oil paintings from Adán Dorfman, as well as selected paintings in oils and acrylics from celebrated local artist León Alva. For the first part of the evening, the only lighting available was that from the many candles strategically placed around, on, and inside the sculptures, emphasizing space, volume, and shadows. After everyone was able to participate during this part of the night, Renato recited several of his works in poetry, accompanied by his instrumental work on the didgeridoo and keyboard playing by accomplice Jorge Cruz. This was followed by a presentation of three short video presentations, detailing the production of Ixim, Renato's masterpiece, along with two videos set to Renato's music exploring social and ecological themes. After this, the lights went up, and for the rest of the evening guests were treated to the totally-lit view of paintings and sculptures from Renato, Adán, and Leon.

If you would like to see photos of a sampling of renato´s works he presented at the exposition click here. On November 20th. the complete collection will be presented including information on how to acquire them . See you then.

IXIM
Article by Andrew Colón

My wife Gaby and I got on the 7 PM bus bound for Akumal . We had been invited by Renato to attend the unveiling of his latest monumental sculpture for the Bahia Principe Akumal Hotel. We had to stand part of the way as the bus was full-many workmen, mostly of Mayan descent, were making their way home from Cancun to their hometowns along the Riviera Maya.

We must have been two hundred yards away from the hotel when I saw it. I had only seen photos of the model and a couple of pictures of the work in progress, but nothing prepared me for HIM. The photo or any photo for that matter, couldn't capture what I felt at that moment in the tram. I think the closest word I could use is awe-and I must admit that I am not easily impressed. I walked up to it: I was in the presence of IXIM (pronounced EE-SHEEM).

The technical specs for the sculpture read: "height: 28 feet, weight 15 tons", but if you have the privilege of standing in front of it, it is larger than life and carries the weight of the world. I'm not kidding. From every angle, Ixim is a new discovery. From one side it is a cornhusk, from another a symbol of raw strength and power-a Mayan superhero being born of the maize of the people he will protect.

In this piece Renato combined his contemporary style of flowing curves and lines with the mythology and legend of his classic Mayan pieces. With this monument he has begun a curious mestizaje (a marriage of disparate elements) of the symbols of infinity and grace of his monuments like Conscious Shock and Messiah ,with the Mayan styles present in works like Barceló and Iberostar Hotels. I think Renato, with the help of some very talented Mayan artisans, has produced a work that has helped propel him to a new level. He has made a quantum leap from a young man with a gift and a talent to an artist with the vision and the fearlessness to forge a new style of art melding poetry, sculpture, music and visual arts.

IXIM
by Renato Dorfman

"Heroic infant,
newborn giant,
leaf of corn,
living ancestor,
guardian of the coral,
bridge in time,
defender of the mangrove,
marine fire,
ethereal algae,
intimate infinity".

The Mayan Kings

For the Maya, the King was the earthly manifestation of all that was sacred.

Know as Ahua, the king was the channeler of the cosmos and of all spiritual authority, and to be in his presence was to have a direct connection to the gods of the heavens. The Ahua was responsible for carrying out sacred rituals honoring the gods and to bring the gods nearer to the Mayan people. When the gods were appeased, the earth received their blessings. It was believed that only through this divine union of king and cosmos would humanity prosper.

Before the ancient Mayans hieroglyphs were decifred, these kings were nameless and faceless, and their actions and importance were unknow. After their translations however, the histories and personalities of the kings began to be known.

While the ancient Mayan society was basically a warrior caste, kings were not only military leaders but also architects. To prove their worth on the throne, they had to prove their worth on the battlefield. The way that they and their successors made these achievements know was through the erection of stone monuments and public buildings. In these works they immortalized their most important moments, for all to see.

It was these public monuments that we still have today to see and understand Mayan history a history that was waiting many years to be re-discovered.

P.S.- Sometimes we receive e-mails from persons who wonder how we got their e-mail address. Therefore, we decided to list the following as our basic sources for e-mails.

1) Clients and visitors to the Gallery and website provide us with their e-mails.
2) Subscribers to the Newsletter.
3) Future travellers to Cancun who will pick up their free Mayan Horoscope Pendant which they reserved through the Cancun On Line website.

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