Guaraní people are one of the major indigenous groups in South Americalong before the colonization of Spanish and Portugal in 15th century. They are distributed across Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina today. They are the most important indigenous group in Uruguay, anda part of Uruguayanpopulation, as well as the only indigenous group existing whilestill keeping their traditional custom and habits in this country. The advanced agriculture and husbandry of Uruguay could all be credited to Guaraní people.

　　However the world changes, Guaraní in Uruguay have always been sticking to their custom and way of life. University of the Republic Uruguay have developed studies and researches about Guaraní people for over 30 years with the continuous excavation of relevant archeological sites, and thusgradually unveiled the long, unknown and diverged history and culture of the ethnic group to the world. Even though the cultural heritages of Guaraní people are sparse, those who still living in their homelands kept their habits, thus making it possible forscholarsto develop in-depth investigation to their culture system.

　　Guaraní people are good at craftsmanship. They expressed their primitive beliefswhile making the handicrafts, for instance, showing their worship to the nature god, such as the god of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, and also showing their belief of the circle of life. As early as the 17th and 18th century, the regions where Guaraní people lived were abundant with handicraft workshops where they produced woodcrafts, textiles, instruments and metals, etc. The craftsmen were mostly grown-up males. Apart from the traditional craftsmanship, they were also influenced by the European missionaries, thus created a wealth of wood carvings of religious figures featuring distinct Guaraní -style aestheticism, also known as “Guaraní –BaroqueArt”. However, with the declining of the Jesuit’s Guaraní Missions, those wood carvings created for parade and festival rituals were destroyed and abandoned. With limited number of preservation today, you could only find them in museums and some families of Guaraní occasionally.

　　Guaraní people are good at craftsmanship. They expressed their primitive beliefswhile making the handicrafts, for instance, showing their worship to the nature god, such as the god of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, and also showing their belief of the circle of life. As early as the 17th and 18th century, the regions where Guaraní people lived were abundant with handicraft workshops where they produced woodcrafts, textiles, instruments and metals, etc. The craftsmen were mostly grown-up males. Apart from the traditional craftsmanship, they were also influenced by the European missionaries, thus created a wealth of wood carvings of religious figures featuring distinct Guaraní -style aestheticism, also known as “Guaraní –BaroqueArt”. However, with the declining of the Jesuit’s Guaraní Missions, those wood carvings created for parade and festival rituals were destroyed and abandoned. With limited number of preservation today, you could only find them in museums and some families of Guaraní occasionally.

　　This exhibition will display the handicrafts made by Mbya-Guaraní,an existing branch of Guaraní in nowadays Uruguay. It is an ancient ethnic group, which belongs to the various ethnic segments within the Guaraní culture. The groups are located in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Like most of the Guaraní, the Mbya’ presence is long prior to the colonization of America. Even though the group lived in different countries, they shared a large web of shared memories, history and ancestry, which gives these peoples a sense of belonging.One of main characteristics of Mbya peoples is migration. They move around the territory for both ritual and community-based reasons, driven by the search of new spaces to create and preserve their way of life, a central aspect of the Ñande – reko, “nuestra común manera de ser”.Just like when they are making the handmade items, they believe that they can be guided and protected by deities, thus having beautiful life.

　　This exhibition will show 158 pieces/sets of handmade items, including 18 antiques baroque-Guaraní sculptures and 12 "Mates", 43 traditional Mbya-Guaraní folk art pieces and 85 pieces of Uruguayan contemporary folk art: daily untensils, clothing and accessories, elaborating the conversion from the traditional materials and techniques of Guaraní art to their contemporary presence.

　　Apparently, Mbya-Guaranípeople inherited the handicraft tradition of the region all the way from 16thcentury to 21th century. In addition,folk art activity among Mbya is participatory. Men and women of different ages re-value their culture through the manufacture of handmade items for the different tasks in their everyday life, such as rituals and festivities, but also for commercial aims.

　　Among the wide variety of artifacts produced by this group are: basketry of ajaka (baskets), with its singular ornamental and simbolic designs; the carving of animals on soft wood, such as jaguars (chivi), turtles (karumble), owls (urukure’a), anteaters (kaguare); as well as music intruments, such as guitars (mbaraca), maracas or rattles, small flutes (Mimby-i), rainsticks (tacuapú), inter alia.

　　Meanwhile, the exhibition will also present the contemporary daily untensils, art objects and clothes that are deeply influenced -in their materials and technics- by Uruguayan handicraft tradition while featuring distinctive styles. The pieces exhibited here were produced in wood surfaces, as well as in guampa, leather,guasquería, pumpkin and metal, using carving, embossing, braiding, knitting and dyeingtechniques.

　　Evidently, the pattern and visual elements in the designs are quite at the frontline of the pop culture of the world.