TINKUY, Seven Acts for the Beginning, End, and Beginning of Time, is an exhibition that emerges from a live performance of the same title, in which Koyoltzintli and an ensemble of artists play an array of ceramic instruments that were meticulously reconstructed based on pre-Columbian sonic artifacts. This ambitious performance is a sonic journey through Earth's evolution, reflecting a time when humanity has deeply interfered with the planet's balance. In the final act, the audience joins in by clapping rocks, the same rocks displayed at the gallery.
The exhibition follows this arc and extends into Koyoltzintli's expansive practice including notations of her exploration of sound in pre-American societies. At the heart of her research lies the Chorrera culture (1300–300 BCE) from the Pacific coast of what is now Ecuador. As Koyoltzintli writes:
“When we think of cultures in the Americas renowned for their technological and cultural achievements, many come to mind. Yet the Chorrera Culture—one of the most sonically sophisticated societies of the ancient world—remains shrouded in obscurity, as if the creation of complex sound instruments were not itself a form of technology.”
This reflection calls into question dominant systems of value and attention, urging us to reconsider what we recognize as innovation and cultural legacy.
The exhibition, designed by the artist herself, is rich with symbolic detail. Ceramic sound objects rest upon platforms arranged to evoke the Andean cosmological mountain—its form facing west, casting a shadow into the surrounding negative space. Black and white paper, shaped like Mockingbird wings—the artist’s favorite bird heard during rehearsals—envelops the bases of some pieces. A text inscribed on glass reveals the artist’s meditations on sound—on how listening becomes a form of remembering and reclamation. In one wall is a large, beaded work from a new series of works on ritual encounters, acoustics and chance.
“Tinkuy,” from the Quechua/Kichwa language, speaks to the meeting of opposites that births a third—a new entity forged in the crucible of tension and union. It evokes encounters, often conflictual, that ultimately restore balance: the mingling of saltwater and freshwater, the convergence of star clusters, the coming together of people.
The River Center, Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park, 8 Long Dock Road, Beacon, NY. Hours Thurs-Sunday 12pm-6pm or by appointment: soonisnowarts@gmail.com
Final Days: We are open Friday, July 4 & Saturday, July 5 from 12pm-6pm and Sunday, July 6 from 12pm-5pm with an artist talk at 4pm.
Koyoltzintli will give a workshop on building instruments with clay on JUNE 28th, 10am-1pm. Registration HERE
Performances were filmed and the video is on display in the exhibition:featuring Koyoltzintli,Dan Blake,Bel Falleiros,Theresa Bear Fox,Ricardo Gallo,Cristina Mejía,and Mar Parrilla
With support from Anonymous Was a Woman in partnership with The New York Foundation for the Arts with additional support from Soon is Now thanks to a gift from The Jerome and Marlene Brody Foundation.
Use of The River Center has been provided by Scenic Hudson (scenichudson.org)
Koyoltzintli is an interdisciplinary artist and educator living in Ulster County, New York. She was raised on the Pacific coast and in the Andean mountains of Ecuador. Nominated for the Prix Pictet in 2019 and 2023, her work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, the United Nations, the Parrish Art Museum, Princeton University, the Aperture Foundation in NYC, and Paris Photo. She received the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, NYFA, We Women, the Latinx Artist Fellowship by the US Latinx Art Forum (USLAF), and most recently, the Anonymous Was a Woman award. Her first monograph, Other Stories, was published in 2017 by Autograph ABP. Her work was featured in the Native issue of Aperture Magazine (no. 240) and included in the book Latinx Photography in the United States by Elizabeth Ferrer, former chief curator at BRIC. She was part of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024, El Museo del Barrio. Koyoltzintli has performed at venues such as the Whitney Museum, Wave Hill, Socrates Park, Brooklyn Museum, and Queens Museum, Performance Space in NYC, and Dia Chelsea for the closing event of Delcy Morelos' El Abrazo. www.koyoltzintli.com