Photography exhibition brings ‘Memory of Peru’ to Kuwait
Dar al-Athar holds first special event of 24th cultural season
By Cinatra Fernandes
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 20: “Memory of Peru”, a photography exhibition, is the first special event of Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyyah’s 24th cultural season, being held at Amricani Cultural Centre in collaboration with the Peruvian Embassy and the Inca Garcilaso Cultural Center.
The exhibition features the photographic works taken in the years 1890-1950 by masters of the lens such as Max T. Vargas, Martin Chambi, Carlos and Miguel Vargas, Juan Manuel Figueroa Aznar, Sebastian Rodrigues Baldomero Alejos and Carlos C. Runcie, among other eminent photographers.
The Ambassador of Peru to Kuwait, HE Francisco Rivarola Rubic, speaking at the opening of the exhibition, stated, “We have brought to Kuwait, 79 photographs that portrays Peru’s amazing landscapes, natural resources and explains traditions and cultural diversity.” Peru’s geography is a composite of the Amazon rainforest, tropical glaciers, impressive mountain
Photos from the event
ranges and arid deserts. As the diverse native cultures of Peru, one of six countries in the world to be considered a cradle of civilisation, interacted with people from Europa, Africa and the Far East, its story of conquest and migration has created a unique post colonial tapestry.
The intersections of geography, society and culture, have given rise to new cultural expressions as well as contradictions. For the Peruvian society at the end of the 19th century, geographically and culturally fragmented, photography was a basic element to configure the idea of the national sense of belonging.
Featuring the works of excellent visual artists, the exhibition casts its gaze on some of the most distinguished emblems of the country and its modernity, as a means to interpret and understand both its history and traditions, and the many complexities of its present aspirations.
Malena Aguilar, in a small presentation, condensed the history of Peru in a short lecture. She shared, “This exhibit is about geography and people. It is about how nature and migration shaped Peru into the nation it is today, to understand how we Peruvians see ourselves and to let the world know that Peru is meztizo i.e. mixed races.”
She described the natural landscape of the country and the tribes of its people and drew attention to many elements of Peruvian culture such as textiles and its rich weaving history, its natural resources, metallurgy and tools used, its distinct style of jewellery making. She touched on some of Peru’s industries, such as mining, oil, agriculture and fisheries.
She drew attention to the Spanish colonial architecture of downtown Lima, with wooden balconies known as the ‘Arab balconies’ as well as the baroque architecture of the Andes, the internal migration of Peruvians to inner cities and the life of the people in the mountains, and informed on traditions such as bullfighting. She commented on Peru’s most famous site, Machu Picchu, “It receives more than 3,000 visitors a day and you can visit it in wonderful trains that leave from Cusco, the capital city of the Incas.”