Ximena Garrido-Lecca

Ximena Garrido-Lecca creates sculptures and installations which trace the violent history and contemporary reality of colonialism in Peru. Garrido-Lecca is incredibly invested in reviving Peruvian indigenous culture and folklore, her earlier works such as Walls of Progress (2009) and The Followers (2010) recreated quintessentially Peruvian sites. The former saw the artist create miniature replicas of ancient mud walls with commercial advertisements painted over them, referencing the corruption of indigenous practices in Peru. In other works, Garrido-Lecca will replicate traditional Peruvian craftwork such as ceramics or textiles, yet the materials used subvert tradition. In Campos de Polaridad II (2019) hand thrown ceramic vases are cracked with iron solder with LED light tubes spouting from their openings. In Redes de conversión: Puntadas entrelazadas de bucle (2021), a textile blanket is woven with copper cables, attached to a LED panel displaying a countdown. Within her practice, countless sacred sites and customs are marred with destructive materials, signalling the cultural destruction brought about by globalisation. Outside of cultural customs, Garrido-Lecca’s work also analyses the direct impact colonisation and globalisation have had upon Peru’s urban and rural areas, questioning how these global forces have irrevocably shaped Peru’s landscape.