This June, Bartha_contemporary presents Felipe Mujica’s seminal series, Solentiname, a suite of textile works created during the artist’s residency on Isla Mancarrón, Nicaragua, in December 2019. These fabric pieces embody a distinctive blend of modernist aesthetics, artisanal technique, and historical narrative, encapsulating Mujica's longstanding engagement with community-based art practices.
Galerie von Bartha, who represents the artist alongside Proyectos Ultravioleta in Guatemala, kindly consigned the works for this exhibition.
A Historical Context: Ernesto Cardenal and Solentiname’s Artistic Legacy
The Solentiname archipelago, set in Lake Nicaragua, carries an extraordinary cultural heritage. In the mid-1960s, poet-priest Ernesto Cardenal established an artist community there, nurturing a distinctive style of painting and sculpture that captured both the idyllic surroundings and the intense political upheaval of the era. The Solentiname artists became known internationally for their vibrant yet politically charged works, intimately connected to Nicaragua’s revolutionary history. This artistic tradition continues today, complementing farming and fishing as essential livelihoods for the islanders.
An Art of Exchange
Mujica’s residency was conceived explicitly to foster "moments of exchange" between visiting artists and residents rather than prioritising a completed product. During his ten-day stay, Mujica engaged closely with the island’s community through informal conversations, collaborative workshops, and a lively exchange of ideas during an organised discussion. These interactions enriched the creative process and provided mutual insights into the diverse values associated with contemporary art and traditional craftsmanship.
Crafting the Solentiname Curtains
Drawing direct inspiration from the local artisans' unique method of painting wooden sculptures with subtle colour gradations, Mujica adapted this technique to textiles, dyeing large cotton fabrics in nuanced colour shifts evocative of Solentiname’s landscape. He then collaborated with local artisans José and Jeamileth Peña and their family, who collaboratively painted precise yet organically rendered white lines onto these dyed fabrics. Though technically straightforward, this collaborative process imbued the works with a distinctive quality, merging Mujica’s abstract modernist vision with the islanders’ skilled craft and aesthetic sensibility.
Mujica remarked that the method's simplicity allowed for openness and accessibility, bridging contemporary abstraction with artisanal tradition. He described the curtains as "temporary and permeable architectures" that physically and metaphorically integrate into their environments, transforming spaces through interaction with light and movement.
From Local Context to Global Dialogue
Initially exhibited informally on Isla Mancarrón, where they complemented local domestic spaces and workshops, the Solentiname curtains now enter a new dialogue at Bartha_contemporary. These textiles transcend their functional origins in the gallery setting, inviting contemplation of their unique cultural and artistic journey. The exhibition will also include large-scale photographic works by Clay Ketter from the artist’s acclaimed Gulf Coast Slabs Series, highlighting the narrative of creation and exchange central to the series.
A Celebration of Cultural Synergy
Felipe Mujica’s Solentiname project represents an eloquent synthesis of place, history, and collaboration. It underscores how contemporary art can meaningfully engage with local craftsmanship, neither appropriating nor romanticising but authentically reflecting a shared creative endeavour. These artworks resonate with aesthetic refinement and deep humanity, offering a nuanced exploration of community, collaboration, and cultural exchange.