Yesterday I had the opportunity to check out the inauguration of Lima Photo 2015 which runs until this Sunday, August 16th from 2-9pm. Set up similarly to Art Lima, it was hosted in the Centro de la Imagen in Miraflores and consisted of many small rooms representing the various galleries. It was quite a labyrinth to navigate but I think I visited every one!
There are over 25 galleries showing work at Lima Photo from many different countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Uruguay, Venezuela, United States and, of course, Peru. At the door, visitors are given a floor map, which made finding particular galleries much easier. The participating galleries are: 80m2 Livia Benavides, Aluna Art Foundation, Carlos Caamaño Proyecto Fotográfico, Cecilia González & Denise Dourojeanni, Corkin Gallery, Del Infinito, Del, Paseo, Diego Ortiz Mugica fotografías, Enlace Arte Contemporáneo, Galería El Ojo Ajeno, Galería Forum, Galería Impakto, Galería Lucía de la Puente, Galería OKYO, Galerie Younique, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, Imaginario Galería de Arte, LA GALERÍA, Prima Galería de Arte, PSH Projects, Quimera, Revolver Galería, Rolf Art, Vértice Galería de Art, Y Gallery, and Atelier Fotolaser.
Inside was not only great for seeing what you came for, photography, but also people-watching as the crowd ranged from famous faces in Lima’s art world to photography students and everyone in between. Something I really enjoy about this type of event is the accessibility of the art. There was someone representing each gallery–many times the artists themselves–with whom you can engage in conversation about the pieces being shown. In addition, the photographs are available for purchase. American Express was sponsoring an initiative to encourage the purchase of national and international contemporary photographs where 25 photographs costing $1000 were marked and available to buyers interested in starting or adding to their collection.
The first floor included a small area serving snacks including makis, and drinks for purchase. Heading from the entrance towards the back, a Pisco 1615 stand was set up for free pisco tasting, chilcanos and giving out coasters with different pisco cocktail recipes listed such as a maracuyá (passionfruit) sour. The second floor is where a band was serenading the guests with live music and there were a few stools and tables to relax and enjoy a Grolsch beer (one free beer ticket included with entrance ticket).
One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was a set of white canvases that included photographs of locations in Lima by Eliana Otta with a few paragraphs below them describing a memory from that place in addition to social commentary connected to the memory. The last couple sentences on each left me contemplating her personal experiences and those of Peruvian women and comparing them to my own experiences in some of those same places, and in my home state of New York. These works, located in the 80m2 Livia Benavides gallery room, were just a fragment of her exhibit Capital Intervención that was recently displayed in the Sala Luis Miró Quesada Garland in Miraflores.
Another room that I really enjoyed was the Diego Ortiz Mugica fotografías, filled with high contrast black and white photographs toying with light and shapes and using locations all around the world as the subject of the photos.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia was a theme in a couple of galleries, Galería OKYO, photos by Maria Fernanda Lairet and PSH Projects, photos by Gaston Ugalde, where the expanse of white salt provided an exceptional canvas for photographs of colorful and incredible reflections.
Lima is a city filled with art and culture, and this was just one of many events I would recommend attending. If you can’t make it, not to worry, there are many fantastic museums open all year round. If you are interested in taking part in any of our art-based experiences, detailed in many articles in our blog, please do not hesitate to contact us.
