Artists

Paucar, Antonio

Antonio Paucar’s work is a strong reminder of how the “visual” has come to monopolize beauty and its
transmission in western civilization. In the three
installations shown at this exhibit, the artist transmits that weaving is itself a method, mathematics, a way in which beauty and tradition are expressed in Andean communities. As Paucar himself has explained, in Andean culture “art” is in the textiles, not in drawing; these are complex and help to keep
abstract ideas and symbols in patterns which are woven with 12, 16 or 24 threads; it is a key process that has been kept by women. In Amaru couple (2021), the artist weaves history and the political
denunciation of bodily dismembering with metaphors of the serpent as well as ritual elements. The installation
Illapa (2022) departs from the mythological serpent and the fact that it stands for thunder and the energy descending towards the earth. The artist weaved this piece with alpaca threads, thus making reference to the animal that lives in the highlands. The threads stem from what could resemble clouds and descend towards the earth through
weaving, resembling thunder. Finally, Círculo del Altiplano
(2009) shows women’s hairbraids in a circle. Andean women cut off their braids in order to fit in urban societies. When they return to their
places of origin, they have to buy other women ́s braids in order to dance in their ceremonies.
The three videos denounce historical and contemporary colonial practices. Guardian of the Cornfield (2013) shows a reverse process in which the
artist ends up with his face covered by his hair, thus denouncing the vulnerability of defenders of traditional agriculture. The video
Adaptation and release steps
(2015) is a performance about armed conflict, militarism and misogyny, that mocks militarization through travesty. In the video Hanging from a Queñua Tree (2014), the artist appears suspended from a queñua tree, upside down and fully wrapped in alpaca. This bodily positon stands for
torture, while the queñua tree stands for that which was venerated by Indigenous people and disappeared through colonization. The artist unties and liberates himself.

Text: Andrea Meza Torres

Antonio Paucar’s work is a strong reminder of how the “visual” has come to monopolize beauty and its
transmission in western civilization. In the three
installations shown at this exhibit, the artist transmits that weaving is itself a method, mathematics, a way in which beauty and tradition are expressed in Andean communities. As Paucar himself has explained, in Andean culture “art” is in the textiles, not in drawing; these are complex and help to keep
abstract ideas and symbols in patterns which are woven with 12, 16 or 24 threads; it is a key process that has been kept by women. In Amaru couple (2021), the artist weaves history and the political
denunciation of bodily dismembering with metaphors of the serpent as well as ritual elements. The installation
Illapa (2022) departs from the mythological serpent and the fact that it stands for thunder and the energy descending towards the earth. The artist weaved this piece with alpaca threads, thus making reference to the animal that lives in the highlands. The threads stem from what could resemble clouds and descend towards the earth through
weaving, resembling thunder. Finally, Círculo del Altiplano
(2009) shows women’s hairbraids in a circle. Andean women cut off their braids in order to fit in urban societies. When they return to their
places of origin, they have to buy other women ́s braids in order to dance in their ceremonies.
The three videos denounce historical and contemporary colonial practices. Guardian of the Cornfield (2013) shows a reverse process in which the
artist ends up with his face covered by his hair, thus denouncing the vulnerability of defenders of traditional agriculture. The video
Adaptation and release steps
(2015) is a performance about armed conflict, militarism and misogyny, that mocks militarization through travesty. In the video Hanging from a Queñua Tree (2014), the artist appears suspended from a queñua tree, upside down and fully wrapped in alpaca. This bodily positon stands for
torture, while the queñua tree stands for that which was venerated by Indigenous people and disappeared through colonization. The artist unties and liberates himself.

Text: Andrea Meza Torres