Escalinata Andina [Andean Staircase]

The oeuvre of Antonio Paucar, born in Huancayo in the central highlands of Peru, is rooted in performance and in Indigenous Andean knowledge systems. In this work dedicated to his mother, Paucar reaffirms his connection to his culture, represented by a woman from his community linked to a series of straws through which runs chicha morada (a traditional drink made from blue corn). Among the Quechua, the sharing and passing around of beverages helps to reinforce the ties between the people and their community, as well as between human beings and the forces that people nature. The duplication of the image reveals a very ancient motif: the celebrated Andean cross.