Peruvian artist shares why preserving the culture and rituals sacred for its art

My artistic affair has led me towards a personal sense of mission, because billedkunsten is more than a passive representation of life style and culture of the Inca Empire, Aztecs, Maya's and Chinese of Asia-Pacific.

Through my work I seek to maintain and stimulate an alternative vision for the modern industrialized twenty-first century. Western culture has moved away from the peaceful way of life that my ancestors lived. It is more important to recognize that we indigenous team on a separate culture with other values other ways search world.

I am 49 years old and was born in the Peruvian altiplano of Puno. The traditional indigenous Andean Mountain Highlands is portrayed in my art. My parents had been driven from their homes near the ruins of ancient Andean Inkarne. This was the result of their families disapproved of relationship their. I returned my home village in the age of seven and since I have committed my art to indigenous roots, my art expresses my original roots and Asian influences.

My mother has always said that in our culture, we use choose to use strong colors in order to placate the spirits, so that they are happy and will not compromise on darkness. It was not expected to the son of a Andean Mountain family to participate in the fine arts school, because it is very expensive.

I began painting at the age of seven and 17 studied fine arts in Peru. Afterwards I went to France, China and Mexico. I am a student currently in Salt Lake City, and I am also painting full time. Through my formal education, I have been able to Explore more than one theme. These themes are within Peruvian, Chinese and Mexican cultures.

In Peru, it is not common for Peruvian performers to step out of the style European taught them in college.

I choose to emphasize in Incan, and Mayan Aztecs organic cultures of our ancestors. Rather than naming old champions and legends as my inspiration, style and subjects do I choose to name my mother as my true inspiration.

My mother has lived a tranquil Ceferina life until now. I pay tribute to direct women such as my mother. She gave me tenderness, care, commitment and guidance to pursue my career.

I paint the mother as the creator of all cultures. His is a tribute to the inka Indian women, because they often work harder than men. Most of them spend all day working in the fields with three to five children for care, and often performs one of them on the back.

They are willing to fight for a better life. I render an emotional tone in every rhythm in life's Andean through my vibrant use of color. I also use bright and radiant

Combinations of reds, turquoises, purple and oranges characterise textiles and ceramics Peruvian Andean Mountain.

I use many colors of the Andean mountains. When I asked my mother why Andes mountains have such vivid colors, she replied, once again, that it is to placate the spirits, so that they are happy and will not compromise rather than dark. I employ simple snode patterns to transmit a feeling of peace and harmony that radiates from the Incan Indian Close relationship to the land. It is this sense of sacred nature, which come from deep within my works. I believe art is "mother earth". Da in Peru, there are few artists who step out of European style; There is no a vision for our own way of seeing things. It is the same with mother earth. This relationship expresses with the soil, have my paintings a profound ecological message. Inka in Indian culture, there is always a relationship close between man and his environment. There is a connection with the ecosystem of the inka Indian world. People depend on it for their existence. !

Therefore, we give thanks to mother earth.

There are several historical themes in my work related to festivals. My paintings represent festivals on the landscape, originate from before the arrival of the Spanish of conquistadors. One painting depicts a traditional Andean ritual known as the Festival of blood, as a condor is attached to the neck of a bull. Condor honsegardsagtige bull's head until the bull die. The picture from this ritual is very strong. Condor represents the people of the Andes and the bull represent Spain.

This festival means the recovery of the Andean dignity and religious imagery. The introduction of Christianity in inka world was never completed. Indigenous cultures of Peru have mixed their beliefs and practices with icons and lithography in the Catholic Church. I mix of indigenous and European religious symbols to show this cultural mixture, also know as mestizo part of society.

Another strong inka ritual still highly practiced is to give offerings to mother earth. A kind of drink is cast all four corner of a room before an event or before eating and drinking. This ritual done to give thanks to the fruits of the Earth as mother Earth gives that we can live.

For example, the square was cross-border a Holy symbol for the indigenous people across America before the arrival of Spanish. The cross was found in Machu Picchu, in Inkarne as well as in the pottery of North American Indians and ancient civilization is considered to be part of a cultural Christ. I see synkronicitet between these religions. There is a mixture of pre-Colombian record religious symbols to create Andean virgins, Christ and Arch Angels. I shall return them to a more native theme, make them Indian with dark skin and traditional symbols such as the moon.

My paintings are operated by a more ambitious objective, which represents an Andean Mountain inka Indian way of being. My work is a defence against Western values, spreading because of a high level of migration of my people into cities. Tribal people who come to the city does not want to talk the inka Indian dialects and they forget their traditions and practice, since now they rely on movies and tv for self expression. My cause is to preserve the cultural integrity of my people, which I believe is a noble. Through my work I seek to maintain and stimulate an alternative vision for the modern industrialized twenty first century. Western culture has moved away from the peaceful life style, my ancestor fine. I is rare in a position to contribute to promoting Andean indigenous cosmic vision of the world.

In Peru, we are 60% natives and outsiders are relatively few in our Tribal villages. We will have our culture is valued, and that my people should be proud of their cultural differences.