Guyanese artists T2i and Noun make “Manman Dilo” travel to the Americas

Since 2022. Similarly, T2i and Noun have been exploring the legend of Manman Dilo, a half-female half-crop character from the Guyanese imagination. In addition, Their artistic approach. Nevertheless, nourished by a hip-hop aesthetic and collaborations with 35 various craftsmen and crafts, offers a reinterpretation of this myth, sometimes malicious to the west of Guyana, sometimes benevolent in Rourannais stories.

“We have reworked this character who turns out to be benevolent according to what the Gangans of Roura tell. In addition, while in the west it is described as malicious and dangerous. Moreover, We wanted to offer another look, a powerful, guyanese artists t2i noun make benevolent, divine and imposing figure in public space ”they explain.

This rereading now has an international dimension. Nevertheless, Their journey starts in Canada with ten days devoted to prospecting. professional meetings in order to open the way to a future presentation of Manman Dilo in Montreal. “We are going to start ten days in Canada. prospecting and professional meetings to be able to take Maman Dilo soon to Montreal”specify T2i and Noun.

They will then continue their journey in New York for the inauguration of the collective exhibition Amazonia Açu At the American Society. in the heart of Central Park. For this exhibition they are both artists and curators. Ten Amazonian countries are represented, including French Guyana through T2i, Noun and Johan Amira.

After the United States, the duo will join Rio as part of Photo Rio. They will present part of their exhibition there at the Cultural Center for guyanese artists t2i noun make Federal Justice. alongside other Guyanese photographers in the collective exhibition Black sun. But it is especially in Salvador de Bahia that their approach will gain a new magnitude.

“The stage in Salvador was one of the most striking for us. What could be the equivalent to Brazil of Maman Dilo, Yemanja, is omnipresent in public space. In Guyana, we don’t talk about it, it’s an almost absent figure. »»

Welcomed in residence by the house of artists Pivô. T2i and Noun will lead for a month a search around the bridges between Manman Dilo and Yemanja. “We want to meet our eyes, bring out the similarities and differences, but especially the ancestral Afro joint baggage. »»

This confrontation nourishes a broader reflection on universal issues. Additionally, “In our very Amazonian environment. we can tackle subjects such as the relationship to the environment, the position of women, or the African inheritance. guyanese artists t2i noun make »»

For the two artists. this journey is not only a geographical displacement, but a way of expanding the symbolic field of Manman Dilo. “We have evolved, matured, especially in our spiritual relationship of Afrodescendants in the Americas and in Guyana”they entrust.

From Guyana to large American metropolises. their creation thus continues to build links between myths, territories and inheritances, affirming the place of Amazonian Guyanese art in world cultural dialogue.