Artist and activist, a Zoque-language speaker and a member of its age-old culture. He writes poetry in Zoque and in recent years has produced performances, videos and documentaries focused on the community’s difficult situation as well as its residents’ rights and struggles. The artist—the first person in his family to attend a university—graduated from the Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas. He is a member of the EDELO artistic collective and a frequent collaborator at Galería MUY, a contemporary art center for Indigenous art and artists throughout Chiapas. His paintings have shown in every corner of the Americas, from Brazil to Canada, and he has been commissioned to paint murals in art and culture centers as well as immigration support organizations in Chiapas, Oaxaca and Tabasco. Kak divides his time between San Cristóbal de las Casas and his birthplace in the Zoque territory in northwest Chiapas.  

(((((/*\))))) Ecos del volcán, 2019
Charles Fairbanks y Saúl Kak
18 min.

The eruption of the Chichonal volcano in 1982 caused the Zoque community, which had lived on the volcano’s slopes until then, to migrate. Filmed over six years, (((((/*\))))) Echoes of the Volcano studies the ambiance of the town in Chiapas where the Zoque community currently lives. The film is an observational tour and a delight for the eyes and ears. It takes us on a sound journey through musical rhythms and unique announcements played on speakers from the stores and vans of the many traveling vendors that swarm the town. Bit by bit, political discourses emerge. In this express exploration, Charles Fairbanks and Saúl Kak address the community’s cultural depth and the neoliberal pressures on indigenous peoples and their lands.