Upu autu Art Documentary

Despite decades of research, many mysteries remain about the ancient Maya. Now, archaeologists are unearthing new clues that transform long held ideas about how these people came to dominate vast areas of Mexico and Central America. Through immense lost monuments, ancient inscriptions and new forensic evidence, this series tracks the Maya from their earliest origins all the way to the present day, unlocking the dark secrets of the rise and fall of the Maya.

For centuries, explorers have searched for the Bible’s most sacred religious artefacts. One of the most mysterious of these objects is the famed Ark of the Covenant. The gold-plated wooden chest – one of the most instrumental symbols of faith and God's presence – was believed to house the two tablets bearing the Ten Commandments. The Ark’s exact whereabouts has long puzzled scholars. Where did it go? And why has it remained such a mystery?

Where does the impulse that leads us to create come from and how does it transform us? At what point does the artist begin to be built by the object he creates? Six artisans from Buenos Aires today take us to know the depths of their trades, seeking to vindicate the importance of the circularity of their production, mutual aid, the transmission of knowledge and the value of the manual tradition that they carry on.

Between experiments, mutations and recompositions, the teeming story of the surrealist adventure, the most fertile avant-garde of the 20th century, whose centenary we are celebrating this year.