An exhibition displaying a rich collection of Mayan textiles in dialogue with installation works by Miriam L’Herminez. Curated by Marina Manger Cats
From 17 to 25 May 2025
Opening times: from Wednesday to Sunday, from 13:00-17:00
Lecture: A Tapestry of Diversity, Saturday 17th May, from 15:00 to 16:30
Poetry reading: Sunday 18th May, from 15:00 to 16:30
Hoogtij Den Haag: Friday 23 May, open until 23:00
Finissage: Sunday, 25th May at 16:00, screening documentary “Tapestries of Light, Life and Community” & discussion
Coloured Connection juxtaposes highly colourful textiles, traditionally woven and embroidered by indigenous Guatemalan women with the contemporary approach of artist Miriam L’Herminez. The large collection on show displays the traditional blouses known as ‘Huipiles’ and other garments that were made mainly in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s by indigenous Maya women, coming from different villages of Guatemala. The textiles, true pieces of art, bear specific colours, patterns and characters and come from private collections.
The weaving culture is passed down from mother to daughter for centuries, and forms an important part of the Maya identity, with the technique itself, as well as the patterns and symbols, that stem from pre-Columbian times and Mayan mythology. Here, the Maya’s cosmovision plays an important role, whereby humans are not central to the world, but are part of the nature around them. Maya weaving was also a kind of hidden language and cultural expression, where values and identity could be preserved despite oppression by the Spanish conquistadores and destruction of ancient Maya books and other cultural expressions. Maya weaving is now suffering under the influence of globalisation, commerce and machine reproduction, with special weaving knowledge and its own culture and values being lost.
The extraordinary Guatemalan Maya weaving inspired Dutch multimedia artist Miriam L’Herminez to create works using textiles and other materials, with an eye for the special, Guatemalan indigenous culture and identity. In doing so, she seeks a connection between our culture and that of the Maya, exploring the fragility of people, culture and materials in a special way. She embraces the universal, the human, without giving it a precise face.
About the artist
Miriam L’Herminez is a visual artist, trained as a doctor. She draws inspiration from themes such as diversity, connection and people-to-people conversation. An important source for her work is a 15-year stay as a doctor in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. During her work, she was touched by barriers that can emerge unintentionally within human interactions. Cultural differences, language and emotional codes sometimes prove unbridgeable. Where do we find each other through the differences?
L’Herminez takes the colourful Mayan textiles to explore forms of connection across cultures and celebrate diversity. Visit: www.lherminez.com
Lecture: Guatemala, A Tapestry of Diversity
On Saturday, 17 May, Maria Veronica Sajbin, advisor to INGUAT on Indigenous Populations, spoke about the richness of Guatemala’s weaving cultures. This lecture was made possible through the collaboration with INGUAT, the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism and with simultaneous translation by Valeria Guzman.
Poetry reading
On Sunday, 18 May, we received Mirjam Musch reciting poems from her own work and from Guatemalan poets (in Spanish and Dutch). Guatemalan guest speakers recited poems by Guatemalan Maya women (in Spanish, Kaqchikel and English) including poems by Rosa Chavez, Negma Coy, Irma Nimatuj, and Javier Payeras.
Mirjam Musch is a Dutch writer and poet who worked in Guatemala. Migration, resilience, and the possibility of finding beauty and connection in the midst of disruption are central themes of her work. Her Poetry collections are Bloedlijn ; Voces entre dos orillas-Stemmen tussen twee oevers ; Encuentros – Gedichten op reis; Steggy y el Meteorito.. Visit also: www.mirjammusch.com
Negma Coy is a Kaqchikel Mayan artist. She works in the community to ensure the art and knowledge of the Maya communities continue to flourish. She is a writer and poet, painter, backstrap-loom weaving instructor, and cultural promoter. Books she has published include: XXXK’, I Am an Owl, Canvases of Inheritance, On the Shores of Fire, Tz’ula’ – Guardians of the Roads, and the Kikotem Collection – Kaqchikel Stories, Tales, and Poetry.
Finissage 25 May: film screening at 16:00
Tapestries of Light, Life, and Community in Guatemala
The film weaves together the stories of women who have led legislative initiatives, shaped national policies, fought for human rights, built collective movements, and created spaces for art and activism—all in the pursuit of peace, justice, freedom, and a life without fear. Their journeys reveal that the strength of their communities has been the key to their transformation. The screening was followed by a short discussion.
For those who missed it, but are interested in the documentary, watch here: www.nobelwomensinitiative.org
Photos by Carel de Groot
About the curator
Marina Manger Cats grew up in Guatemala and worked there later as a doctor at community level. She and her mother collected ‘huipiles’ and other textiles over the years. Marina brought together artworks from other private collections to give a broad picture of Guatemalan weaving art in this exhibition. She comments that often people visiting Guatemala, whilst touring the ‘hotspots for tourists’, hardly have time for, nor are introduced to the many aspects of Mayan culture. They may see women in Mayan clothing on the streets, but they miss the crucial role of women in weaving, with their incredible creativity and mathematical skills, learned at an early age, with a lot of counting and puzzling involved. The tourists are often not aware of the deep meaning, cultural identity and heritage that lies behind the weaving designs, nor the social functions of the weaving itself.
Although the huipiles are sold at affordable prices to tourists, it may take months of work to make just one. Weaving not only contributes to the family income but also contributes to mental health, due to the meditative focus required in the process, weavers tell us. Therefore, Manger Cats hopes to strike the public’s curiosity and enthusiasm about the beauty, complexity, and background of textile work and its meanings: the heritage of Mayan culture, the link to Mayan mythology of the designs, and the role of this textile production in guarding Mayan identity and cosmovision in today’s globalized world.
Donations and income from the sale of L’Herminez’ artworks and postcards benefit weaving schools for girls and young women (through the Guatemalan organisation AFEDES/MNT) to preserve Maya weaving as cultural heritage.
Supported by the Embassy of Guatemala and Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo (INGUAT).