3 Of Cups (Tatéi Neixa), 2023

Ancestral altar created with the intention of reaffirming and reestablishing ancestral pacts for sustaining rains and offering healing for the land and its inhabitants. Inspired by the Three of Cups tarot card and by the Wixárika community’s Tatéi Neixa ceremony.

Tatéi Neixa is celebrated towards the end of the rainy season and is also a right of passage for members of the community. The Three of Cups is a card that represents nature, sacred union, rejoicing, hope, and the sanctity of connection and collaboration. This card traditionally showcases the three Greek Goddesses Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia. On this altar, the Greek Goddesses are replaced by three Wixárika Goddesses: Tatéi Niwetsika, Takutsi Nakawé, and Tatéi Yurienaka. They are represented visually in a nierika, a large painting created digitally and printed on adhesive wall vinyl. This painting towers lovingly over a t’sikuri or “Ojo de Dios” made in the shape of one of Riverside’s historic navel oranges. It is created using materials that speak to the histories of cement production and mining in the surrounding area. These industries have left a deep impact on the artist and their community and have also been a focus of past projects and research. Lighting elements have been added to the altar to create a sense of space and evoke the feel and presence of a sacred xiriki or community sanctuary, where ancestral altars are traditionally placed.

Exhibited as a part of the Mexicali Biennial’s exhibition Land of Milk and Honey at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art and Culture of the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, California. Land of Milk & Honey is organized by Ed Gomez, Luis G. Hernandez, Rosalía Romero, and April Lillard-Gomez with assistance from Enid Baxter-Ryce.

Documentation above by Ed Gomez.

Subsequent Iterations

An iteration of this project was exhibited as a part of The Grammar of Animacy presented by SUPERCOLLIDER and Idyllwild Arts Academy. This iteration utilized projection to exhibit the digital image of the painting above and recreated the altar with the same materials and intention.

The Grammar of Animacy” brought together the work of six artists who strive to challenge Western myths and cultivate visions that intertwine multiplicity in embodiment, queer mythologies, indigenous epistemologies, and ethical relationships with ecology and technology. The artists were: Bobby Joe Smith III, Edgar Fabián Frías, Gerald Clarke, Moara Tupinambá, Noara Quintana, Óldo Erréve, Tiare Ribeaux, Qianqian Ye, and Bomi Yook. The exhibition was curated by Berfin Ataman, Isabel Beavers, Yara Feghali, and Kira Xonorika.

Documentation by Isabel Beavers.

In addition to exhibiting their art, Edgar was also invited to share an artist talk at Idyllwild Arts Academy and offered an “art spell” making workshop with some of the senior students.

Documentation by Isabel Beavers.