210 canal st, rm 310, new york, ny
tejiendo a san benito
07.05.-08.30.2026
maría elena pombo
07.15-8.30.2026
during july and august, 𝐦𝐚𝐫í𝐚 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐨 will be artist in residence at gmtc, developing 𝒕𝒆𝒋𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒐, a project that explores the celebrations of san benito in cabimas, venezuela, which she grew up attending.
the celebrations honor benedict of palermo, an afro-sicilian franciscan later canonized as san benito de palermo and today celebrated in different ways across venezuela and around the world. a defining cultural tradition of cabimas, the celebrations bring together catholic and afro-venezuelan heritage, extending beyond religious practice through collective drumming and movement. throughout a procession that moves through the city, participants continuously shower the saint and one another with rum as a form of offering, celebration, and petition.
the first stage of 𝒕𝒆𝒋𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒐 focuses on transforming rum into yarn, translating the immersive experience of the procession into material form. guided by the golpes and drum structures of the celebrations, the work unfolds through a score of measuring, mixing, suctioning, pouring, extruding, collecting, untangling, rinsing, hanging, tying, and waiting.
throughout the residency, the making process will periodically open to the public through a series of actions and events, followed by conversations and later activations of the work.
the full schedule will be announced in the coming days. 𝒕𝒆𝒋𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒐 continues 𝐩𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐨’s ongoing tejiendo series, in which materials connected to venezuelan territories, communities, and economies are transformed into yarn. each project develops a distinct weaving pattern through a different affective register. during the residency, the weaving pattern for 𝒕𝒆𝒋𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒐 will emerge through the process of making and in response to the physical conditions of gmtc.
ⓒ gmtc 2025