NHEMBOJERA MBAVYKY
Cristine Takuá
30 October 2025
The blossoming of ways of playing in overflows of creativity activated through old memories that inhabit the teachings of the Living Schools was deeply present at Living School House artistic residency during the artistic residency we organised at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.
For the Guarani people, the word Mbavyky means playfulness, it is how they express what the Western world calls Art. The possibility of transforming straw into baskets, clay into pipes, wood into animal sculptures is something very profound and true. Art blossoms from this place for the Guarani, from the act of playing and allowing oneself to dive into the creative essence that exists within each of us.
Carlos Papá instructed the Maxakali, Huni Kuin, Baniwa, Tukano, Desana and Guarani Mbya artists at the beginning of the activities so that each one could reflect on where the art they were creating came from. How is the expression “art” expressed in each of their languages? Based on this reflection, he invited them to consider that this gathering, this Living School House activation, was not intended to be competitive, but rather a space to share, to experience concentration and the exchange of knowledge.
A much-discussed idea during the residency was the broader view of the concept of art for each people, each culture, in the sense of understanding that farming, giving birth, allowing oneself to create and transform is art. Art springs from ancestral memory, and the threads that unfold from a creative process of imagination reveal the potential that lies within each artist. Between dreams and intuitions, forms and signs are revealed, reflecting the nature of their origin of creation, pulsing the meaning of these relationships into life.
Pajé Mamei Maxakali always gathered everyone in a circle at the start of activities to sing to the yãmiy and ask, together with them, for protection and lightness for the day ahead. The entire process was guided by this web of affection and care. At times, Ivan Tukano, coordinator of the Bahserikowi Living School, reported on meetings he attended to discuss Good Living, but the methodology of the activities was very tiring and contradictory to the subject they were addressing. This is often the case: we are invited to participate in seminars, conferences, and events that drain our energy.
The Living Schools keep pulsating and driving our walk in a gentle and respectful way, seeking to encourage collectives and bring their dreams in order to invite the world to be re-enchanted.
Although there are many challenges, we seek to maintain a balance between the beauty and harshness of life, listening carefully to the stories of the creation of the world.
Long Live the Living Schools.
Photos of the Living School House residency by Caleidoskópica / Elea Mercurio