KAY EXPOSES "THE DARK SIDE OF COLLECTIVE MEMORIES" IN LIMA
With an innovative perspective and a personal scenic language, KAY presents a play that reveals how the myths of the Amazon have been distorted to conceal the violence lurking over the women and girls of the region. The performance will serve as the closing event of the tenth edition of the prestigious theater and dance festival Temporada Alta, organized by the Alianza Francesa de Lima.
Recognized for addressing the issues of urban Amazonia through her transdisciplinary approach and her ability to merge various forms of artistic expression, Kay Zevallos Villegas, known as KAY, a Peruvian artist residing in France, is preparing to present her theater-performance piece Ombre des Amazonies(Shadow of the Amazons) for the first time in Lima on March 15, 16, 17, and 18.
This production revolves around the oral narratives of the Bufeo Colorado in the Amazon—a pink river dolphin that transforms into a human to share knowledge of the river and its depths. According to the legend, the Bufeo took the form of a man with Western features—a "cauchero," a great "gringo," often blonde and blue-eyed—who was considered the father of fatherless children. KAY—creator of the concept and script, as well as the play’s director and co-protagonist—provokes the audience into reflecting on how these stories have been used to mask the violence against women and girls in the region.
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Sombra de las Amazonías de Kay Zevallos Villegas. Foto: Musuk Nolte
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Sombra de las Amazonías de Kay Zevallos Villegas. Foto: Musuk Nolte
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Sombra de las Amazonías de Kay Zevallos Villegas. Foto Musuk Nolte
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Sombra de las Amazonías de Kay Zevallos Villegas. Foto Musuk Nolte
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Sombra de las Amazonías de Kay Zevallos Villegas. Foto Musuk Nolte
"The abuses against women persist not only in reality but also in the memory and oral narratives of the region. These supernatural beings, which some consider part of imaginary worlds, actually belong to the cosmovision of our Indigenous peoples. Inspired by my own experience—growing up in urban Amazonia in Iquitos and learning these stories—this play seeks to unravel the so-called 'myths and legends' that have been manipulated and now represent the dark side of collective memory," states KAY.
The play’s experimental aesthetics incorporate sculptures created by the artist using latex (extracted from natural rubber), a recurring material in KAY's work, as she pioneers its use as a symbol of colonial exploitation. Additionally, the play's soundtrack includes the voice of the renowned Susana Baca and a selection of songs by Los Wemblers.
Ombre des Amazonieswill premiere exclusively for Peruvian audiences at the theater of the Alianza Francesa de Miraflores in Lima.
It is also worth noting that KAY has been garnering recognition and has consistently participated in major international events in art, performance, and theater. She is currently taking part in the 40th anniversary of the Havana Biennial (Cuba) as an artist representing both France and Peru, with an artistic proposal that evokes life stories marked by the Rubber Boom in the Peruvian Amazon and the Sugar Boom in Cuba.
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