Nerika/Mandala

Nerika/Mandala

Gonzalo Hernández Carrillo

Huichol Yarn Painting

Ht. 11.5″ x W. 11.5″

The Huichol indigenous group remains one of the most intact primitive cultures in the Western Hemisphere. For many centuries, to this day, they have preserved their ancient spiritual rituals, their language, their art, and their agricultural lifestyle. For Huichols, religion is not a part of life — it is life. They continue to dress in spectacularly embroidered apparel because they believe themselves to be mirrors of the gods. Their art, which began centuries ago, was originally tributes to the gods and now has become spectacular art, all derived from peyote visions, dreams, and ancient spiritual and mythological traditions. Gonzalo Carrillo Hernández is one of the most talented artists working today. The artist presses one strand of yarn at a time onto a board covered with a mixture of beeswax and resin.