Yuan Space Museum Catalogue Preface
Gonzalo Gutiérrez
Beijing, September 2012
Yuan Space Museum preface Ambassador Gonzalo Gutiérrez
Is Art related to our national origins? Do we develop our aesthetic perception of the world by the experiences we had as children in our hometown? Does Art transcend boundaries to appeal to the observer, regardless of his/her nationality? These and many other questions are subjectively answered when we admire the art works with which Grimanesa Amorós presents us. An important part of her creations, such as “Uros” or “Huanchaco”, are nothing but the beautiful expressions of her life experiences as a Peruvian, who feels for her country of origin and its nature to the deepest of its roots. But there is also something else in her art works that appeals to us: the primal attraction that we all feel for water forms. Her multicolour bubbles and lighted lines transport us to an attractive, liquid, cosy and peaceful surrounding. There is a pulsating allure in her art works that instinctively compels us to get closer to them, to absorb their warmth, even to touch them as a means of connecting ourselves with those sensuous colours and forms. Also her videos show us the interaction between the human being and water, or the character of street and famous people, such as our beloved peruvian performer, Susana Baca. For me, as Ambassador of Peru to the People’s Republic of China and a personal friend of Grimanesa Amorós, it is a distinctive honour to present to the Chinese people in Beijing the work of one of the most distinguished Peruvian artists. I am sure that the colours and forms that attracted me since I first saw those colourful spheres on the ceiling of her studio’s entrance in New York, as well as her video works will have the same effect on all of you. You will feel yourselves transported to the beaches of Northern Peru and their foamy waves, to Lake Titicaca with its floating islands, where you can breath and taste the crispy and clean Andean air, or to the every day streets of New York City. Grimanesa has the magical ability to transcend geographical and artistic boundaries with her art, whilst projecting through her works the spirit, the character and the energy of the country she loves, Peru.
