RETORNO SOLAR. THE MAC LIMA ART AND INNOVATION AWARD 2022

The installation proposes to recover the possibilities of what could and can be through the Sun, affirming the urgent questioning of the notions of progress and productivity, and the necessary transformation of concepts such as culture, spirituality and knowledge. This, in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and already on the way to the possible Sixth Extinction as a consequence of human activities, which is evident in the current environmental crisis. The works that are part of the proposal are articulated through the cycles of the Sun: the colors in them, the changes and growths, the shines and their perceptions -like everything in the terrestrial existence- respond to the solar energy.

The exhibition includes, in a first space, materials that refer to the development process of the project. Among them are a series of photochromatic paintings, which are activated like a color thermometer that can measure the solar intensity of the day, a series of golden reliefs and silkscreen prints made with spirulina ink. In the second space there are a group of sculptures, connected to solar tubes, which crystallize the reflections and propose a direct connection with the hands, face or body of the spectators. Thus, they are constituted as altars of healing and contemplation, where the public can access the benefits of solar energy.

In addition, the installation houses two pools of spirulina –that take light and turn it into matter– on which are placed pieces that affirm the role of the Sun as a biological nucleus and as a portal: a sculpture made from the eyes of endangered animals and a device with mirrors that projects reflections and shadows. This group of works proposes a return to this source to question anthropocentric knowledge and respond to current challenges, understanding the limits of our efforts and the consequences of our activities. In this way, it is proposed to recover the awareness that we exist in the Sun with the aim of thinking how today it may be possible to combine human technological development with the projections of life, coexistence and survival of the Earth's ecosystems and the beings that inhabit them.

Luis Enrique Zela-Koort (Peru, 1994) examines technological responses to ideological biases; deconstructing the possible relationships between culture and nature, and the ideological instrumentalization of science and myth. Her projects are articulated in scenographic installations, integrating digital processes and manual methods.

In his personal mythology, the pieces embody hypothetical objects and processes to conceptualize new realities, where traditional fiction is digested and subverted. Thus, he observes the interplay between abstract and historical forces, and the construction of subjectivities.

His work integrates ceramics, digital fabrication, printing, bio-art, kinetic and interactive art. His research employs resources from scientific studies, animation mythologies, philosophy, cyber culture, occultism, nature and poetry. Delving into the potential of theory-fiction, he speculates logics over the binarisms of modernity.

He studied Visual Arts at Corriente Alterna, and completed courses in electronic art at MoMA, and experimental photography and film at Taller Helios. He has taught at Edith Sachs, and the PUCP. He won the National Art and Innovation Award (MAC, 2022), and has been a finalist in multiple editions of national awards such as PPUA, the ICPNA Award, and ARTUS scholarships. Selected for the Bienal do Mercosul (2022) and winner of the award for best proposal in Espacio Tomado. His work has been exhibited in several cities in Germany, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Ecuador, Mexico, Poland, USA and Peru. He has participated in national residencies in Brazil and Japan and has several publications of essays and poetry. His work is part of public and private collections internationally.