Ontopo’s 2022 gathering in Quintana Roo, Mexico, brought together a diverse group of artists and cultural practitioners for a four-day exploration of ritual, landscape, and embodied experience. Set amidst the ecologically rich and culturally significant sites of Tulum, the program operated as a mobile space of inquiry, blending art-making, communal reflection, and site-specific engagement.
Key activities included Shu Hung’s Sho-Do drawing workshop, Huy Bui’s architectural sketching at Coba, and Rich Awn’s "Archaic Fermentation Revival," each offering distinct approaches to connecting with the land’s history and ecology. The program was anchored by shared moments such as a boat tour of the Mayan canals at Sian Ka’an, snorkeling in the Dos Ojos cenote, and a ritual healing session by Gian Kamal.
The event culminated in a midnight equinox celebration, blurring the lines between art, ritual, and social gathering. Ontopo Tulum 2022 functioned as a temporary, dialogic ecosystem—interrogating the intersections of art, place, and the performative enactment of ritual, and offering participants a critical framework for exploring the role of site-specificity in contemporary practice.
Participating Artists
Extra Terrestrial Projects
Shu Hung
Joe Magliaro
Riki Bryan
Huy Bui
Rich Awn
Gian Kamal
Jon Santos