“In Indigenous Kaqchikel thought,” says artist Edgar Calel, "there is almost nothing that is done alone. All the things we do are done collectively and that collectivity is what serves as the basis for discovering: what is your function? What is your role within society?”

In 2023, Tate became custodians - not owners - of Calel’s work The Echo of an Ancient Form of Knowledge. Based on Mayan thinking and custom, the agreement recognises that Calel’s artwork is more than just a physical form and pays homage to the local Indigenous communities within Guatemala.

In this short film, we visit Calel and his family in their home town of San Juan Comalapa, and watch communal art-making in action.

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