Grecia Gaceres, director of the Latin America Department at IESA arts&culture,
She tells us how the Lima In-Quieta exhibition was a very rewarding experience for her department.
The idea of an exhibition on Peru had been on my mind since the creation of the Latin America Department in 2015, but the opportunity only arose this year with the first edition of Quipu, a cultural fortnight of Peru in France.
Indeed, the Latin America Department has a policy of organizing events with an institutional partner able to give it more visibility and an official image.
Thus in 2016, we organized Murmures et visions: une déambulation en Amérique Latine with curator Carolina Ariza and the support of the Chilean embassy, and in 2017/2018 Attaches with curator Claire Luna and in partnership with the Institut Français, the Embassy of Colombia and the Cité Internationale des Arts as part of the France/Colombia year.
As soon as I learned that Quipu had been made official, our contacts with the Peruvian embassy began and we quickly set a date. On the IESA arts&culture side, another internal collaboration emerged with the International Department. Cynthia Cervantes immediately and kindly offered to work with her students through a call for applications. This is very innovative since the project is not part of an established course but is based on the willingness of a group of students freely associated with the project. Another asset of this project was the invitation extended to curator Lassla Esquivel to supervise the students. Lassla had already worked with Cynthia from London, where she lives. Thus, another essential element joined this very particular, very specialized project of very high artistic and curatorial standards.
In this way, Lima In-Quieta fits perfectly with the outlook and ambition of IESA arts&culture, which is to confront students with the demands of the professional world from the very start of their studies. We were fortunate to work with artists from the new Peruvian art scene who brought us not only their work but also their enthusiasm and their time. Lima In-Quieta thus brings together all the elements of a good project that is both educational and professionalizing for students, and also brings fine visibility to the school outside its walls.
The Latin America Department is particularly pleased with the excellent understanding with Cynthia Cervantes of the International Department of IESA arts&culture, Ana Lucía Carbajal of the Peruvian embassy and the Younique and Impakto galleries of Lima. It should not be forgotten that, to respect the intercultural intent of our Lima In-Quieta exhibition, all the exhibition documents are in three languages: French, Spanish and English. This is the result of a tremendous effort by our students and our team.