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KUKULI VELARDE ON COLONIZATION AND SURVIVAL THROUGH CORPUS EXHIBIT
The Windgate Distinguished Lecture Series welcomed Kukuli Velarde, internationally recognized Peruvian American artist, to UA Little Rock on Feb. 24 as the featured artist for Spring 2023.
Her CORPUS Exhibit was demonstrated from Monday, Jan. 9, to Friday, March 3.
Kukuli Velarde has experience with multiple mediums, including ceramics, drawing, painting and installation.
She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hunter College in
New York.
She has received awards from the John Guggenheim Fellowship, Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant and Joan Mitchell Foundation grant.
During her Windgate Distinguished Lecture, “A Voice of My Own,” she spoke about her history of works, including the CORPUS Exhibit.
Her work aims to show indigenous cultures’ resilience in the face of colonization. Her CORPUS exhibit playfully blends Peruvian Pre-Colombian indigenous influence with Catholic representations in an almost mischievous fashion. The exhibit draws from the annual Corpus Christi Festival in Cusco, Peru.
Following the lecture, I had the chance to ask her if her work with representing indigenous cultures helped her connect with her Quechua roots.
She quickly said no. She affirmed that she identifies as mestiza, a recognized label for Latinos of mixed indigenous, European and sometimes African roots.
She said she cannot force herself to be something she is not. She boldly stated that she can only be a reflection of what she feels she is in the moment.
I respected her answer; many Latinx peoples often feel their identity is determined on an individual basis.
She asked me if I was an artist, and I quickly said no. She playfully expressed disappointment with a scoff.
I proceeded to ask her how she believed Latinx peoples could affirm their identities after colonization. She asked me what I identified as, and I responded that I was Mexican.
She re-emphasized again that we can only live aligned with our circumstances and attempt to express ourselves as we can in the moment.
BY BRYAN HERNANDEZ
