The Art Institute of Chicago announced on May 8 the opening of “Edgar Calel: Corn Mountain of Life (Ixim Juyu K’aslem),” an exhibition featuring newly commissioned work by Guatemala-born, Maya-Kaqchikel artist Edgar Calel. The exhibition is now open and will run through September 13 on the Bluhm Family Terrace.
This show highlights rituals, techniques, and materials from Calel’s indigenous family and community. By placing a rural architectural structure from his hometown in downtown Chicago, the artist brings together different histories for museum visitors to experience. According to the official website, the Art Institute of Chicago promotes accessibility with resources for individuals with disabilities and provides free tours in English and Spanish to enhance public engagement.
Calel used recycled materials to construct a hut called K’ojay—a Kaqchikel word meaning “we have a house” or “we have a future.” The structure resembles those commonly found near his home in Chi Xot and is typically used for storing tools or agricultural objects. Inside this hut sits a sculpture depicting a turtle with corn breaking through its shell, representing earth cycles in Maya cosmology. Outside stands a mountain of ceramic corn symbolizing abundance and security.
“In Calel’s work objects have multiple meanings, from their material beauty and practical resonance in daily life to their role in larger belief systems,” says Giampaolo Bianconi, Dittmer Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art. “At its heart, his work honors the idea that knowledge is shared, not owned, and this exhibition brings a vision of life from the artist’s home to the museum’s audience.”
The exhibition is curated by Bianconi. It is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago with major funding provided by the Bluhm Family Endowment Fund.
The Art Institute serves as a major museum featuring art from various cultures and eras according to the official website. Its collections represent art from regions including the United States, France, Japan, England, Italy, Germany, China, and the Netherlands—spanning works from 8000 BCE to today—and include prints, photographs, drawings, textiles as well as Asian art.
