The Flowers are Talking: The Huichol

The Huichol, or the Wixáritari as they call themselves, are an Indigenous people that live in the Sierra Madre Occidental region of Mexico. Their culture has been sustained for generations, with tradition and lifestyle  strongly linked with nature and richly steeped in art, folklore and shamanism.

Photographer Cate Cameron is interested in exploring the Huichol way of life through the direct immersion into the small communities of La Cebolleta and La Laguna situated in Jalisco State. Currently, the Huichol are experiencing a period of transition with the introduction of Western culture, electricity, and other modern changes. Due to this, there has been a migration to cities and alternatively, encroachment on their communities.

The liminal point in which tradition and modernity intersect becomes a central focus in Cameron’s work as she documents this period of change. Her photographic work captures members within the communities, emphasizing the folkloric and shamanistic elements of their traditions creating works that appear timeless yet modern. Presenting this body of work at Make Gallery, Cameron reverses this pattern of encroachment and brings the art and religion of the Huichol into a Western context.

Exhibition runs April 7–30, 2016