Keywords: Seeded Memory, Sacred Commodification & Whispers of Ancestry

Installation view at Art Rotterdam 2026, presented with Josilda da Conceição Gallery

In Amazonian traditions, certain seeds are valued not only for their natural beauty, but for their spiritual potency. These seeds are often used in spells and protective practices, where they function as carriers of intention and energy. Worn on the body, kept in small bundles, or placed within the home, they are believed to guard against harm, deflect negative forces, and attract balance and well-being. The use of seeds in ritual contexts is deeply connected to the relationship between humans and the natural world. Rather than passive objects, these seeds are understood as living elements—imbued with the soul of the forest and the memory of the land. Through touch, repetition, and belief, they become activated as tools of protection and transformation. Gifting these seeds is a meaningful act within many communities. To offer a seed is to offer care, protection, and good fortune. It establishes a bond between giver and receiver, extending the protective field beyond the individual into a shared space of trust and connection. In this sense, the seed becomes both an object and a gesture—material and symbolic at once. Whether used in ritual, worn as an amulet, or exchanged as a gift, Amazonian seeds embody a continuity of knowledge and belief. They carry with them histories of protection, healing, and resilience, remaining active participants in both traditional practices and contemporary reinterpretations.

Inspired by ojo de buey, a South American protection seed traditionally carried as an amulet against misfortune, this work unfolds as a suspended, rhythmic system of balance and tension. The ceramic elements—seeds, needles, and pendulum—are arranged in a vertical composition that oscillates between stillness and potential movement, evoking both ritual precision and fragility. The repeated seed forms function as symbolic carriers of protection and continuity, while the elongated, sand-textured needles suggest acts of piercing, marking, or channeling unseen forces. At the center, the pendulum drop becomes an axis of orientation, recalling systems of divination and the search for equilibrium between material and spiritual realms. The presence of water introduces a reflective and temporal dimension, amplifying the work’s sensitivity to motion, gravity, and change. By translating an organic talisman into ceramic, the installation preserves and recontextualizes its protective function, transforming it into a contemplative structure. The work reflects on how objects migrate across contexts—shifting from intimate amulets to monumental forms—while retaining their symbolic charge as vessels of belief, protection, and transformation.

Huayruro Worship - The huayruro seed, known scientifically as Ormosia coccinea, holds a profound place within Andean and Amazonian cosmologies, where it is revered not merely as a natural object, but as a living vessel of protection and balance. Recognizable by its striking red and black coloration, the seed embodies a dual symbolism: red as life force, vitality, and abundance; black as protection, grounding, and the deflection of negative energies. This chromatic pairing reflects a broader worldview rooted in duality, where harmony emerges through the coexistence of opposing forces. Traditionally, huayruro seeds are carried as amulets, often in paired forms—understood as male and female—to activate their full protective potential. Worn on the body, placed in the home, or embedded within ritual objects, they function as guardians against misfortune, envy, and spiritual imbalance. Their presence is believed to attract prosperity while maintaining a protective boundary between the individual and unseen forces. Beyond their symbolic role, huayruros are deeply embedded in ritual practice. They are frequently combined with other natural elements—plants, fibers, or minerals—forming assemblages that connect the human body to the soul and to ancestral knowledge systems. In this sense, the seed operates not only as an object of belief, but as a mediator between material and spiritual realms.