ROBERTO HUARCAYA’S PHOTOGRAPHS AT LES RECONTRES D’ARLES
Les Recontres d’Arles, the first international festival of photography, presents Traces, an exhibition by Roberto Huarcaya, a key figure in Peruvian contemporary photography.
Curated by Alejandro Castellote, Traces comprises three photo series: Amazongrams [Amazongramas] (2014-2022); Andreagrams [Andegramas] (2017-2022) and Oceanograms [Oceanogramas] (2019).
In 2012, Roberto Huarcaya participated in a project in Bahuaja Sonene, an intangible natural reserve in the Amazon, located in southeastern Peru and inhabited by the Eseja community.
For the first two years, he worked with a range of different cameras but none were capable of capturing the invisible sensory experiences present in that vast, powerful landscape. He decided to shift his approach from creator to mediator, allowing the jungle to write its own story in light, without outside interference. He chose to take photograms. In doing so, he was able to emulate the way in which nature lets time pass slowly to allow the cycles of life to come full circle. He produced his first images with help from local community members, wrapping thirty-meter rolls of photographic paper around trees and shrubs at night and processing them with river water, full of impurities and grains of sand.
This empathy with the natural world now forms part of a more ambitious project: to construct an alternative imaginary of the Peruvian landscape that encompasses the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, using images that straddle documentary and fiction. Through this exploratory project, Roberto Huarcaya is able to raise the issues of water pollution and deforestation of the native eucalyptus forests. On the coast, plastic waste takes center stage and appears perversely beautiful in the images, while in the Andes, the photograms explore the continued existence of ancestral traditions and cultures.
-
Roberto Huarcaya.
Fragment Amazograms no. 3, photogram, 2014.
Courtesy of the artist.
-
Roberto Huarcaya.
Fragment Amazograms no. 2, photogram, 2014.
Courtesy of the artist.
-
Roberto Huarcaya.
Fragment Pacific Ocean / Pollution no. 2, photogram, 2019.
Courtesy of the artist.
-
Roberto Huarcaya.
Fragment Dancers of Tijera Hijos, Andinos series, photogram, 2020.
Courtesy of the artist.
-
Roberto Huarcaya.
Fragment Amazograms no. 5, photogram, 2022.
Courtesy of the artist.
Related Topics
May interest you
ROBERTO HUARCAYA'S PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENTATION IN PINTA PArC 2023
Pinta PArC celebrates its tenth edition from April 19 to 23 in Lima, Peru, where more than 45 galleries will participate, including Argentina's Rolf Art.
MODERN LEGACY FROM THE LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE - MAIN SECTION AND SOLO DUO AT PINTA PArC
Pinta PArC, Peru Contemporary Art inaugurated its tenth edition. A unique opportunity to discover and explore contemporary art proposals from around the world and, especially, innovative initiatives from the region.
ROBERTO HUARCAYA AT THE ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS
The Art Museum of the Americas (OAS AMA) and the Permanent Mission of Peru to the OAS present Amazogramas an individual exhibition by the Peruvian photographer Roberto Huarcaya. Under the curatorship of Alejandro Castellote, large-scale works exhibition of Huarcaya opens on November 15th and will remain in the museum until January 27th.
THE MALI AUCTION CELEBRATES ITS 30TH EDITION
On November 18, the iconic auction of the Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI) celebrates its 30th edition. This year, the auction will be held at Hotel B. with more than 60 pieces of art by some of the most outstanding artists in the history of Peruvian art.
