Mamachay

Composed of images and texts embroidered in alpaca wool, this work, Mamachay (“my mother”, in English), by Paloma Álvarez tells a story of resilience. The texts in Spanish and Quechua evoke an imagined dialogue between the artist and her grandmother Sara, who migrated from Ayacucho to Lima in the 1980s, fleeing from terrorist violence. It was Sara who taught the artist to embroider. This work displays elements of Andean origin, such as traditional skirts, sandals and yellow broom flowers, but also more urban objects, such as high-heeled shoes. By including this footwear, the artist evokes her grandmother’s journey. Also, by placing the sandals and high heels in juxtaposition, Álvarez expresses the complex experience of geographic and cultural change undertaken by migrants. At the same time, the artist highlights how use of the body and clothing shapes and reveals our identities.