The process of decolonization through art and religion
Pacha: Decolonizing Our Cosmos. Credit: M Yeager
A student art exhibition looks at the complexities of the world and the process of decolonization
By M Yeager
Decolonizing Art & Religion in Spain & the Americas: Resistance, Reparations, & Repair is an Antonian Honors seminar offered this fall semester. Art history professor Dr. Amy Hamlin and theology professor Dr. Rebecca Berrú Davis both teach the course. On Wednesday, Nov. 1, the art exhibition “Pacha: Decolonizing Our Cosmos,” which was curated by the class, opened in the library and will run until Dec. 13.
The Course
As an honors course, it is interdisciplinary and taught by two faculty members from different disciplines. The course description in the syllabus reads:
This course is an exploration of the cultures of Spain and the Americas with attention placed on Indigenous expressions and Jewish, Islamic, and African influences on visual culture. The course considers the ways various expressive forms of material culture (such as art, artifacts, and architecture) reflect, maintain, resist, and change religious and socio-political meanings over space and time. Drawing on cultural studies, intersectional, decolonial and critical race theory, multidisciplinary methods will be used to assess imagery, religious practices, and sacred spaces that continue to hold significant meaning for Indigenous, Latin American, and U.S. Latinx populations today.
Pacha: Decolonizing Our Cosmos
Figurines and statues from the exhibition. Credit: M Yeager
The name of the exhibition stems from the word Pacha that the Quechua, a group of South American Indigenous peoples, use to refer to the world. The concept of “world” can mean many different things in the context of the exhibition — from the three distinct pacha (hanaq pacha, kay pacha and ukhu pacha) that are the worlds above, below and this world respectively, to the concept of the Old World and New World during colonization. The exhibition focuses on the cultural, social and religious complexities of what a world is. Through the process of decolonization of South American religion and art, it is possible to uncover the worlds that were hidden during colonization.
Rosary and heart from the exhibition. Credit: M Yeager
A Look Into the Process
The exhibition took three weeks to plan and set up, and it was a class effort. There were five small groups, and each was in charge of a specific part of the project. One focused on the registration process of the exhibition, one on public relations, one on installation, one on education and the final was the project team that oversaw everything.
“It took a lot of communication, teamwork and adaptation,” said project team member Madelyn Johnson ‘23 (International Business and Economics). “Everyone has done so much throughout these three weeks, I think we are all really excited to see our hard work come to life.”
A tapestry and a painting. Credit: M Yeager
The exhibition includes a personal statement in the chat labels for each of the works included, which the class is very excited about. On a class trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, they spoke to curator Valéria Piccoli, who introduced them to the rare practice of the inclusion of a personal statement in an exhibition.
“The presence of a personal statement allows the viewers to learn more about the curator and their experiences in relation to the art in the exhibit,” said Maya Radtke ‘25 (International Affairs). “We have included personal statements in the chat labels so viewers can see the connection between the student-curator and the art piece.”
Figurines from exhibition. Credit: M Yeager
The course itself stresses the importance of personal connection to artwork, and that has changed the students’ views on art exhibits and how they interact with them. “Walking through the exhibit, I think about the history of the artwork and where I fit in there,” said Rachel Solberg ‘24 (International Affairs and Economics). “We did this [inclusion of personal connection] to show how the past relates and is relevant to our time and place now.”
Paintings and drawings from the exhibition. Credit: M Yeager
Solberg’s and Radtke’s favorite part of the exhibition process was the art itself and seeing the personal connections that their classmates made to each piece of artwork. Johnson’s favorite part was the naming of the exhibition, which she stated “was one of the few parts that we all worked together as a class to finalize. It was great to hear from my classmates and their ideas.”
For those interested in seeing the exhibition, Radtke shared one of the biggest aims of the class: “We really hope that everyone can find a connection to at least one of the art pieces and that the viewer can gain a better understanding of art and a new way of thinking when looking at an exhibition.”
