Ajkan

‘Ajkan’ is a labour of love created in San Marcos La Laguna at Lago Atitlán, Guatemala.

This piece was created for a live art show opportunity at a music event at the eco-boutique hotel Lush Atitlán, also known as a prestigious event location in San Marcos La Laguna.

The tree accents on the canvas (left) were sculpted and attached by Luigi Abate. Within three days, this collaborative piece was finished.

The indigenous people of Lake Atitlán maintain a profound devotion to the Mayan spiritual practices in their day-to-day life. Juliana had the pleasure of coming into closer contact with these practices during her time in Guatemala, leaving a meaningful mark on her. 

The piece’s title, Ajkan signifies ‘Aj’ and ‘Kan’, the Nahuales* (from the Mayan Calendar) of Juliana de Andrade Schnell and Luigi Abate.
Together, with numbers 13 (Aj) and 1 (Kan) both representative of their individual Mayan Charts, with 13 as the last number in the Mayan Calendar and 1 as the first, this piece symbolizes an ending and beginning of a cycle — a rebirth. 

The artwork is a representation of the elements of nature which purposefully and vividly interact with each other in the piece.

*“A Nahual is the energy, spirit, the strength of beings and elements of nature. Nahuales are represented by the very elements of nature like the sun, moon, rain, air, water, plants and animals because, in the Mayan thought, everything is alive.”
— AlterNatives Boutique

Whilst painting, two drips running down the center of the female form unintentionally took place in parallel alignment to each other, connecting the figure to the symbols and elements in a manner that seems to have been intentional - reflective of the magic present during the creation of the piece.

First layers of the piece an evening prior to the event.

Live painting during the event.