‘The Myth of El Dorado’, a new art project by Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi

‘The Myth of El Dorado’, a new art project by Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi

08/06/2024 - 06/07/2024

Dear art lovers,

Readytex Art Gallery is pleased to announce the launch of the new art project by visual artist Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi: ‘The Myth of El Dorado’. The project, which consists of several phases, is documented by the artist in a series of blog posts, which she will publish on her website  https://kitlingtjonpiangi.net/blog/. As a whole, the project ‘The Myth of El Dorado’ consists of the production of 5 series of 9 paintings of 30 x 30 cm, each focused on a specific animal species. With the launch on June 8, Kit-Ling will present her first series of 9 paintings on the first floor of Readytex Art Gallery. This first series features the hummingbird.

Kit-Ling has been studying the cultural diversity, biodiversity and ultimately the power of the Alakondre concept in her own country Suriname, for quite some time. Recently, she decided to expand her research to the inner strength and wealth of the wider region to which Suriname also belongs. Historically, the story of El Dorado and the gold rush that accompanied it plays a major role in several cultures within the region. Intuition played an important role for Kit-Ling in her new research. In her blog post, she says, among other things: “My intuition told me that the gold of El Dorado was not only the precious metal that is called gold. In the manner of a bloodhound, I followed my nose in search of various scents that could tell old and new and beautiful stories. My intuition told me that I had to explore the culture of the indigenous people of South and Central America in search of their wisdom concerning the connection between animal and human.” Particularly interesting and striking to Kit-Ling, during her research of the cultural heritage in especially the visual language of the Indigenous people, were 5 specific animal species that she identified therein. These five species became, one by one, the focus of her new research; research about yet another gold of El Dorado, the result of which she is happy to share with the public.

From June 8 you can enjoy the first series of 9 works of art in which the hummingbird, an important bird species in ancient Mayan and Aztec mythology, takes centre stage. You and your guests are welcome during the regular opening hours of the gallery from Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and on Saturday from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm.

The first blog posts have been published on the website van Kit-Ling tjon Pian Gi:  

https://kitlingtjonpiangi.net/the-myth-of-el-dorado-in-search-of-another-gold/

https://kitlingtjonpiangi.net/the-myth-of-el-dorado-the-hummingbird/

Team Readytex Art Gallery