Ángel Poyón
Guatemalan artist – Performance artist, Conceptual Art,
Ángel Poyón (Guatemala, 1976)
Poyón is an important voice of the experimental contemporary art movement in Central America. Departing radically in execution from the traditional artistic expression of his indigenous background, Poyon’s pieces nonetheless probe assimilation and identity.
Angel Poyón lives and works in Comalpa, Guatemala where he was born. He believes that his work is not limited to creation but to truly connect with the “Rajawal” (spirit) of the object itself, it is in this way that the object intervened becomes a work of art.
In Poyón’s culture any object is submitted to a ritual, especially those that are close to people. The objects have a spirit that needs to be found. When this happens there is a union between the object and the person who uses it; it is a relation that transcends the matter and is a channel where both parts connect and accompany each other in a lasting relationship.
Poyón applies this idea of finding the spirit’s object to conceptual art; he explains that, if the spectator allows himself to enter into the energetic space of the conceptual artwork and find its spirit then he will be able to understand it because he won´t be seeing the piece with his eyes but with his mind. He reminds us that conceptual art is an invitation to think, to question what is being put in front of us. (Rofa art gallery)
