Exhibition Celebrates Indigenous Artist Abel Rodríguez's Legacy of Amazonian Flora

The Malba museum in Buenos Aires is currently hosting a posthumous exhibition of works by Abel Rodríguez, a Colombian indigenous elder and botanical artist who passed away last year at the age of 84. The exhibition, titled 'Abel Rodríguez: The Tree of Life and Abundance,' presents nearly 500 pieces that draw heavily from the origin myths of the Nonuya and Muinane peoples.

Rodríguez's art is deeply rooted in the natural world, particularly the Amazonian ecosystems he knew intimately. His work often references the myth of the first tree, a central figure in the creation stories of his ancestors, which was felled by human greed, giving rise to the Amazonian rivers. This narrative is visually represented in his art, sometimes including symbols like a small axe, as seen in one of the pieces displayed at the Malba.

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This ritual is called mambear.

Leandro Muniz, a curator who assisted Adriano Pedrosa, explained the significance of a ritual depicted in one of Rodríguez's drawings. He described 'mambear,' a practice involving the consumption of coca leaf powder, as a sacred and ancestral tradition among Amazonian indigenous communities. During these nighttime gatherings, adults share 'words of power,' engaging in teaching, knowledge exchange, and discussing both personal anxieties and future plans.

Rodríguez, known in his original language as Mogaje Guihu, was the last in his lineage of botanical sages. For about forty years, he dedicated himself to visually documenting the diverse flora of his native La Chorrera, using watercolors, tempera, ink, and acrylics to recreate Amazonian ecosystems from memory. His artistic journey led him to Bogotá in the 1990s due to the escalating conflict, drug trafficking, and extractivism in his region. Despite these challenges, his work gained international recognition, including an exhibition at the Documenta in Kassel and participation in major biennales worldwide.

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There, words of power are spoken. It is a moment of teaching, of knowledge exchange, and of talking about your anxieties, but also your projects.