BETWEEN COSMOS AND ALGORITHM: YERKO ZLATAR'S VISION AT MALI
At the Lima Art Museum – MALI, the exhibition Yerko Zlatar. Ancestral Technology is currently on view. This show invites reflection on the contrast between the deep, harmonious connection that ancient Andean civilizations had with the cosmos and their environment, and the way we now live, governed by a technology driven by consumerism and individualism.
Through concrete sculptures, audiovisual pieces featuring archival material, and immersive soundscapes, the exhibition summons sacred knowledge and ancestral practices that weave together the utilitarian, the spiritual, and the symbolic.
In a world where artificial intelligence, algorithms, and the accelerated pace of consumption shape our communication, this exhibition evokes sacred wisdom and advanced techniques that have been lost over time. It poses the question of whether we can restore a more respectful and meaningful relationship with nature by learning from ancestral technologies that were not only functional but also deeply rooted in spiritual and symbolic connections.
Yerko Zlatar (Peru, 1977) lives and works in Lima. His practice spans various techniques, including collage, photography, painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation, and video art. He holds a postgraduate degree in Fine Arts from the Byam Shaw School of Art (London, 2002), a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Corriente Alterna (Lima, 2001), and studied Formulas and Processes in Photography at the Centro de la Imagen (Lima, 1999).
In 2000, he won first place in the Philips Young Talent Award and exhibited his work at the Museu da América Latina Memorial in São Paulo, Brazil. In 2001, he traveled to London, where he explored digital art, video art, and experimental music, focusing his work on themes such as architecture, ancient cultures, mysticism, and technology. Over the course of his career, he has participated in both solo and group exhibitions in London, Paris, New York, São Paulo, Madrid, and Lima.
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