The collective exhibition “Verti/Entes: The Rivers of Quito” opened on June 13, 2024, in Room A, first floor, of the Cultural Center of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE). This exhibition brings together various artists and collectives focusing on the state, recovery, and impact of Quito’s rivers on its residents. It will be open to the public until July 26, with parallel activities to engage the community.
“Vertiente” comes from Latin: “vertere” (cycle, movement, water flow) and “ente” (the one who acts, the being). This term aptly groups several social actors working on the issues surrounding Quito’s rivers. Led by Samayuio‘s Monica Aguilar, the project found an ideal partner in Sofía Luzuriaga Jaramillo from the Faculty of Human Sciences at PUCE to launch this collective exhibition.
The curation revolves around Samayuio’s conceptual framework: the river as the winged serpent traveling through Uku (past), Kay (present), and Hanan (future) Pacha: three planes of existence in Andean indigenous cosmology. The project became a true artistic minga (collaborative effort), involving creators and contemporary activity managers advocating for the recovery of Quito’s rivers.
As visitors navigate the exhibition, they will encounter municipal ordinances that led to river pollution, heritage photographs reminding us of their original courses, ancestral memories of the city’s rivers, syncretisms of the winged serpent guiding us from the past to the severely polluted present. In Uku, you’ll find the Amaruna del Río collective’s documentary “Memories of Machangara” and the poem collection “Voices of Water,” Sara Palacios’ various versions of the Virgin of Legarda, the “Soy Quebrada” lab by the Yama collective, and academic research by Sofía Luzuriaga Jaramillo and Monica Aguilar’s visual work.
In the present, we have Byron Toledo’s “City Logics,” audiovisual work by Boloh Miranda and Isadora Romero developed with Machangara River water, La Cabina de la Curiosidad‘s canvas depicting Quito’s original water footprint and the Esmeraldas basin, Monica Aguilar’s “Points of Pain” regarding Quito’s lost watercourses, and a pollution installation by Amaruna del Río (Machángara), Rescate del Río San Pedro (San Pedro), and Luchando por las Quebradas (Río Monjas), alongside work by Tomorrow Cities and USFQ’s Instituto Biósfera, raising awareness about risk management in Quito.
Before reaching the future, you’ll see Camila Molestina’s video still work, drawings by children attending Rescate del Río San Pedro mingas, Belén Mena’s audiovisual piece highlighting the importance of the páramo, and a cascade by Lisa María Madera welcoming us to Hanan.
Towards the future, because it is yet to be written, we invite attendees to reflect on building a future for Quito and its rivers during a grand Pambamesa. In Hanan, we feature works by José Luis Macas with his apus and offerings, creations by children from Samayuio’s art workshops, and Camola Valarezo’s “Reflection” tapestry.
As transitional areas between past, present, and future, you’ll find Samayuio’s photographic work, particularly between the past and present, and the River Tapestry guiding you through all the works.
During the exhibition, visitors can join parallel activities designed to connect the community with the exhibition’s mission. You can add the schedule to your Google Calendar via this link.
The exhibition will be open until Friday, July 26, Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Saturdays and Sundays by reservation) at the PUCE Cultural Center located on Av. 12 de Octubre between Patria and Veintimilla in Quito. Follow the center on Instagram @centro_cultural_puce and the exhibition activities at @espirituderio.
Text: Mónica Aguilar V. / @saokma
Photos: Ramiro J. Aguilar V. / @miro.a.villamarin