Ser Pallay is a collaborative art project that brings together textile artists and weaver artists associated at the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco – CTTC around the creation of kunan pallaykuna, most accurately translated as “contemporary Andean textile iconography”. Traditionally Andean textiles are made up of two inextricable elements: pallay and pampa. Pallay, which means textile design, is part of a complex vocabulary through which Andean communities express their ways of thinking and feeling in several textile pieces employed in their everyday lives, such as the lliklla, poncho and more. Pallay is only possible thanks to its complementary opposite: a plain, monochromatic textile where no design has sprouted yet, called pampa.
In 2023, Ser Pallay arrives at ICPNA’s gallery in the Historic City Center of Lima to share the project’s creative process with the audience of the capital and open a conversation about the regional textile traditions of Cusco, represented by family heritage textile pieces that the weaver artists have identified as ancestors to their contemporary production.
One of the key propositions behind Ser Pallay has been to create a space for dialogue, knowledge-sharing and co-authorship between artists who, in spite of their different origins and training, share a real commitment with the practice of weaving and the preservation of Andean textiles. In April, the group will also launch Ser Pallay’s publication in the context of the Lima art fairs and we will also share more information about those.
Artists
Alipio Melo, Celia Sabina Pfoccohuanca, Cintia Ylla, Cristina Ylla, Hermelinda Espinoza, Luz Clara Cusihuaman, Miriam Quispe, Norma Ojeda, Verovcha and María José Murillo.
Curator
Florencia Portocarrero
Information on the publication: https://www.artforum.com/print/reviews/202203/ser-pallay-87889
Image: View of “Ser Pallay,” 2021–22. Kunan Pallaykuna (Contemporary Andean Textile Iconography) (detail), 2021. Photo: Miguel Palomino.
Learn more about the event here:
https://cultural.icpna.edu.pe/portfolio_page/ser-pallay/
