{"id":90619,"date":"2024-11-06T17:10:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T17:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/?p=90619"},"modified":"2024-11-06T17:13:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T17:13:24","slug":"killed-for-a-secret-princess-sikan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/killed-for-a-secret-princess-sikan\/","title":{"rendered":"Killed for a secret… Princess Sik\u00e1n"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Courtesy and Copyright \u00a9<\/em> Belkis Ay\u00f3n Estate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Belkis Ay\u00f3n’s journey into the world of Afro-Cuban mythology began during her time as a high school student at San Alejandro. While researching the Yoruba and Kongo cultures, she stumbled upon El Monte<\/em> (1954), a book that introduced her to the Abaku\u00e1 , an all male secret society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Abaku\u00e1 mythology was largely untouched by artists, which piqued Ay\u00f3n\u2019s curiosity. She became fascinated by their symbolism, particularly the society\u2019s use of graphic signatures that spoke to her visually. Her research led her to the story of Sik\u00e1n, a pivotal figure in the founding myth of the Abaku\u00e1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Abaku\u00e1 legend, Princess Sik\u00e1n, while collecting water from a river, unknowingly traps a sacred fish (Tanze) in her jug. This fish is believed to be the reincarnation of an old king, and anyone who possesses it would gain great power and prosperity. However, women are not allowed to hear the mystical sound the fish makes. When the tribe\u2019s diviner realises the fish is missing, Sik\u00e1n is discovered with it. Fearing the fish\u2019s power is now within her, the men of the tribe decide to sacrifice Sik\u00e1n. The murder of Sik\u00e1n risked silencing the sacred voice forever, but following the ritual sacrifice of a goat (Mbori) the voice was recaptured in the animal\u2019s skin which was then stretched to form the surface of a sacred drum (Ekw\u00e9). The drum, now infused with the sacred voice and Sikan\u2019s knowledge, becomes the most sacred object in the Abaku\u00e1 tradition. It\u2019s believed that through her sacrifice, her spirit is transferred into the drum, allowing the Abaku\u00e1 members to access the powerful voice and presence of Tanze during rituals.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ay\u00f3n never intended to reproduce and perpetuate the Abaku\u00e1 myth exactly as it was. Instead, she sought to synthesise its aesthetic, visual, and poetic elements, adding her own interpretation and inviting the audience to add theirs. The myth serves as the source of Ay\u00f3n\u2019s creativity, but the body of work she creates is something new, timeless and universal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does it make you feel? How do you interpret Ay\u00f3n\u2019s mythical works?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A
Sik\u00e1n, 1991. Courtesy and Copyright \u00a9<\/em> Belkis Ay\u00f3n Estate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ay\u00f3n repeatedly focuses on the emotions and struggles of Sik\u00e1n in her artworks, often depicting her holding the hollowed-out gourd she uses to catch the sacred fish Tanze and with scales on her skin, reminiscent of fish or snakes. Sik\u00e1n became the controversial representation of femininity in the very masculine and patriarchal world of the Abaku\u00e1. She is a complex mythological character, who is venerated as the symbolic mother of the brotherhood because her discovery gave power and primacy to men and to her people.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 1988 manuscript, Ay\u00f3n reflected on her connection to Sik\u00e1n, writing, \u201cShe is like me, and she lives through me in my restlessness, as I instinctively search for an escape.\u201d This sense of identification extends into the symbols Ay\u00f3n uses; in a 1999 interview with journalist Jaime Sarusky, she explains, \u201cthe snake is forever her companion. It can be threatening, protective, or simply company for her. Likewise, in concert with that idea, I also use the snake as a phallic element.\u201d Through these nuanced choices, Ay\u00f3n reveals Sik\u00e1n as a reflection of her own inner world, navigating themes of power, gender, and identity.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
See Belkis Ay\u00f3n: Sik\u00e1n Illuminations<\/em> on display at Modern Art Oxford until 9 February. Free, no booking necessary.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Explore the mythology of the Abaku\u00e1 and discover how artist Belkis Ay\u00f3n brought Princess Sik\u00e1n to life through detailed collography prints. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":305,"featured_media":90657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[308],"tags":[264,309,255,310,248],"class_list":["post-90619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-belkis-ayon","tag-artist","tag-belkis-ayon","tag-feminism","tag-mythology","tag-research","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKilled for a secret... 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