In her solo exhibition, ancestors weep through me, Kat Cadena embarks on a powerful journey to understand how oppressors perpetuate harm to indigenous communities and the persistent patterns of complicity that enable its continuation. A woman of color nurtured by generations of resilient, proud, and fierce mestiza women in San Antonio, Texas, Cadena invokes the support of her ancestors to guide her through the depths of her grief over the genocide of Palestinians happening right now, and over the last 70 plus years.

The installation includes an altar filled with incense, herbs, prayer candles, and more, that sit before a wall adorned with 10,000 printed watermelon seeds. The watermelon, a sign of Palestinian resistance since the Israeli occupation criminalized public displays of the Palestinian flag in the 1960s, is used here to represent the amount of lives lost at the time of installation. As of today, November 10, 2023, the death toll now exceeds 10,000 people. Utilizing the language of her ancestors, Cadena has created an altar to honor the lives lost in Palestine, the indigenous people of the Americas, and all others that have suffered under the weight of oppression and colonization. Cadena told Sala Diaz, “I want to express that although my ancestors have always walked alongside me and communicated with me, I feel them especially now…Through me, my ancestors weep and beg me to resist. Beg me to stand up. Beg me to reach my hand out into the smoke.” 

In the language forced upon her forebears, and so many around the globe, Cadena pens a letter to the silent. Written using graphite on muslin, the piece drapes from the wall to the floor and is a plea for understanding, for herself, and for the world. Symbols of the Palestinian people and their resistance adorn the walls through small ink drawings and a banner. Olive branches, a symbolic representation for Palestinians of their nationality and connection to their land, along with poppy flowers, a national flower of Palestine, are juxtaposed with human hands and a child's face. 

The artist invites visitors to engage with this exhibition by adding flowers or herbs to the altar. Additionally, a letter-writing station will be available, allowing participants to write to politicians, to the Palestinian people and journalists covering the attacks, or use the opportunity as an outlet for grief, anger, or confusion by writing anonymous letters. The letters to politicians will be mailed out, while the other letters may be pinned to the gallery wall. 

ancestors weep through me is a documentation of this moment in time. It is a story of the artist's experience wrestling with a world that puts geopolitical and capital gains before human lives, and the citizens of the world that remain seemingly unbothered by the continuous dehumanization of people.

Proceeds from the sale of select artworks will be donated to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF).

About Kat Cadena
Kat Cadena is a multimedia artist, celebrated muralist and independent illustrator. She was raised by multiple generations of strong, proud and fierce mestiza women in San Antonio, Texas. Cadena’s bright pink portraits and murals depict unflinchingly emotional subjects, most often, women. Surrounded by monumental, flowing medicinal herbs and flowers, her works are a nod to a simultaneous keeping of tradition and an intentional breaking of cycles.