Shot in the Guatemalan Highlands, Meta Mayan II is a keenly observed, poetic video essay on the indigenous culture of the Maya, and is one of the first video pieces to use slow motion as a formal element. Director Edin Vélez combines imagery of the Mayan people with voice-over recordings taken from international news outlets describing the country’s political turmoil, to create a metaphor for a culture in transition. Vélez’s video is complemented with artworks that depict South America’s diverse landscapes, cultures, and textures.

Pablo Soria, Untitled #K8N4 from Las Yungas, 2005. Sepia-toned photograph on Litex camera film, mounted on an acrylic painting on panel. Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Gift of Brad Parman and Tim Seeliger in honor of the 60th anniversary of the McNay Art Museum. 2014.13.

This exhibition is organized by Rene Paul Barilleaux, Head of Curatorial Affairs, and Jacqueline Edwards, Assistant Curator, for the McNay Art Museum. Lead funding is most generously provided by the Elizabeth Huth Coates Exhibition Endowment and the Arthur and Jane Stieren Fund for Exhibitions.