CLOSED: Exhibition | Religion in the Andes

Event time: 
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 - 12:00pm to Friday, June 26, 2020 - 12:00pm
Location: 
Miller Hall (PROS406) See map
406 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Open to: 
General Public
Hours of operation: 

Weekdays 9-4 (except holidays)

Event description: 

This event has been closed until further notice due to concern over the transmission of COVID-19, in accordance with Yale University’s guidelines for events. We regret any inconvenience this might cause our audience.

***

Exhibition highlighting the diverse religious traditions of the Peruvian Andes and of diasporic Andean communities in Lima, bringing together new works by three contemporary Peruvian artists whose art explores both modern and historical practices

Artists
Venuca Evanan
Raúl Montero Quispe
Richard Peralta

Curated by Emily Floyd, M.A.R. ‘12

Opening Reception Wednesday, February 19 at 5 pm

___

Pilgrims travel for days over snowy cliffs, dressed in festive attire and carrying with them musical instruments and portable shrines. At the conclusion of their journey they join with fellow religious travelers, coming together to pay homage to the glaciers of Mount Ausangate and to visit the Lord of Qoyllur R’iti, Christ as Lord of the Shining Snow, dwelling in his high-altitude shrine. In the coastal metropolis of Lima, home to almost 10 million people, a small community of Quechua-speaking refugees who fled the Andean village of Sarhua in the wake of terrorism and state violence adapt their festival traditions to their new urban home. They carry the image of the Virgin of the Assumption and of the Child Jesus on processional litters, dancing and singing in honor of mother and child. Meanwhile, child angels in indigenous dress with rainbow wings bless the Andean landscape in its tripartite division—hanan pacha (the earth above), kay pacha (the earth here), ukhu pacha (the earth below). 

Religion in the Andes highlights the diverse religious traditions of the Peruvian Andes and of diasporic Andean communities in Lima. It brings together the work of three contemporary Peruvian artists whose work explores both modern and historical practices. The artists Venuca Evanan, Raúl Montero Quispe, and Richard Peralta produced new work for inclusion in the exhibition.

__

En los Andes, cientos de peregrinos cruzan caminos rocosos ataviados con trajes de fiesta y portando instrumentos musicales y altares portátiles. Al llegar a su destino, se reúnen con otros devotos al tener todos un mismo objetivo: visitar al nevado Ausangate y rendir homenaje al Señor de Qoyllur R’iti, Jesucristo como Señor de la Nieve Brillante, cuyo santuario se encuentra a los pies de las nieves perpetuas de la montaña. En la capital de Lima, ciudad a orillas del  Océano Pacifico que alberga aproximadamente 10 millones de habitantes, una comunidad pequeña de refugiados quechua hablantes que huyeron del pueblo andino de Sarhua tras el auge del terrorismo y la violencia estatal han adaptado sus fiestas tradicionales al nuevo entorno urbano. Los sarhuinos portan imágenes de la Virgen de la Asunción y del Niño Jesús en andenes procesionales, bailando y cantando en honor a la madre e hijo. Mientras tanto, niños vestidos de ángeles en traje indígena con alas de arcoíris bendicen al mundo andino en su división tripartita—hanan pacha (cielo), kay pacha (tierra) y ukhu pacha (inframundo).

Religión en los Andes revela las diversas tradiciones religiosas de la sierra peruana y de las comunidades de la diáspora que residen en Lima. La exposición reúne el trabajo de tres artistas contemporáneos peruanos cuyo trabajo explora prácticas devocionales modernas e históricas. Los artistas Venuca Evanan, Raúl Montero Quispe y Richard Peralta, han producido obras nuevas para ser incluidas en la exhibición.