This Peruvian Artist Is Turning Colonial History Upside-Down—Literally
By
Jorge Gallo
Sandra Gamarra Heshiki’s inverted portraits challenge idealized notions of Peru’s history.
This article is adapted from AQ's special report on A (Relatively) Bullish Case for Latin America Three portraits dominate a room in The Upside-Down World, the latest exhibition by Peruvian artist Sandra Gamarra Heshiki. They imitate an artistic style from Peru’s colonial past: Each portraying an Indigenous person or profession, they are intended to categorize colonial society and instruct the viewer. But in Gamarra Heshiki’s version, the portraits hang upside-down—and their faces have been painted over with colorful Peruvian dancing masks, testaments to an Indigenous culture...
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