Cecilia Vicuña’s latest exhibition at Lehmann Maupin showcases her profound practice of recollection, intertwining memory and care for the forgotten. The artist’s new oil paintings revive lost drawings from 1978, inspired by her journey across the Amazon to Rio de Janeiro after fleeing Pinochet’s coup in Chile. These drawings, now only remembered through photographs, depict syncretic images of Orixás, Yoruba deities blended with elements of Vicuña’s personal experiences.
In her recent works, Vicuña expands on these lost divinities by creating new figures in vibrant pastel colors. “Santa Bárbara” and “La música latinoamericana” reimagine traditional symbols in a contemporary light, infusing Latin music with anthropomorphic qualities and transforming landscapes into deities.
One of the central pieces in the exhibition is Vicuña’s monumental quipu, “NAUfraga,” which premiered at the Venice Biennale. This immersive installation reimagines the Andean record-keeping device as a cascading poem of shells, rocks, and debris collected from the Venetian lagoon. Visitors can walk through this rhythmic creation, symbolizing the intersection of nature and human waste.
Vicuña’s ongoing “precarios” series is also featured, showcasing sculptures crafted from natural and inorganic materials that reflect ecological precarity and political turmoil. These delicate assemblages serve as poignant reminders of our fractured world, inviting viewers to contemplate the fragility of peace.
Through her work, Vicuña challenges the notion of waste, transforming discarded materials and forgotten histories into powerful symbols of resilience. Her art serves as a testament to the importance of recognizing value where others see only loss.
The exhibition, titled “La Migranta Blue Nipple,” is on display at Lehmann Maupin in Manhattan until January 11, 2025. This thought-provoking showcase of Vicuña’s work invites viewers to delve into the artist’s world of memory, care, and transformation.
