Mogaje Guihu: The tree of life and abundance Abel Rodríguez

The title of the exhibition combines the artist's two names: Mogaje Guihu, as he is known among the Muinane and Nonuya peoples, and Abel Rodríguez, the Spanish name he adopted after being forced to leave the forest. As a child, he received training from his Muinane family to become a sabedor. This training involved learning to identify and understand the practical and symbolic uses of plants, as well as their relationships with other beings. His experience in the Colombian Amazon resulted in intricate drawings of plants, their cycles, and forest seasons developed since the 1990s. Encouraged by researchers from the Tropenbos Foundation, he began drawing then. Over time, his work gained recognition in the Colombian and international art scenes. For his contributions to the art and nature debate, the artist won the Prince Claus Award. This increased the visibility of his work, leading him to participate in important biennials around the world, such as those in São Paulo, Venice, Toronto, Gwangju, Sydney, and Kassel’s documenta. 

Curated by MASP’s artistic director, Adriano Pedrosa, and assistant curator, Leandro Muniz, the exhibition offers an analytical look at the artist's work. His approach breaks with traditional botanical drawing by recording the region's fauna and flora from the perspective of his ancestral knowledge, which is based on an integrated view of nature. While traditional botany decontextualizes and dissects plants, Rodríguez presents an interrelational view of the ecosystem. “My knowledge is not biological. It is materially, spiritually, and emotionally connected to the forest and its energy,” Abel Rodríguez said in 2024. This principle guides the structure of the exhibition, which is divided into four sections: Mythological Trees, Botanical Drawings, Cycles, and Integrated Nature.