Violence against women, migration and extractivism in an exhibition by Iván Sikic

At first glance, the works of Iván Sikic could cause confusion. What connection do gold-painted garbage bags, dancers in the middle of the sand or excavations on the other side of the world have with each other? For the Peruvian artist, who lives in New York, the bond that unites them is summed up in two great concepts: oppression and greed. “Everything returns” is a visual journey through the performances and artistic interventions that Sikic has carried out in the last decade. It is also the first time that he presents an individual exhibition in Peru. The art exhibition can be seen at the Icpna in Miraflores and consists of six projects out of 16 that began in 2011. They were selected by Elena Ketelsen, curator of the Museum of Modern Art (Moma PS1) from New York.

The path that Sikic has chosen to create is not easy. In addition to the two main themes that bind his pieces, migration and its edges are recurrent in his work. “I see the migrant body as a territory that faces the problems that derive from power and I explore it through different practices that can be photography, actions where I am involved with communities, installations or the creation of objects,” he says. . It was precisely the way in which these ideas were approached that interested Ketelsen and made her agree to be in charge of curating the exhibition. “. I also identified other issues such as extractivism on the land and on those who work it. There appeared the legacy of colonialism and its relationship with capitalism that has made migration necessary. It is no coincidence, then, that the gallery floor is covered with three tons of Maras salt for industrial use. It is, says Sikic himself, a way of reminding the public that art should not just exist in a white cube of display. “My works talk a lot about extraction and salt was one of the first mined products. We are present in a much larger extraction process.” The projects “Brecha” and “Looting” are a reflection of this particular look.

In “Conscious Oblivion” Sikic enters the Brooklyn cemetery and finds a series of graves belonging to people buried between 1800 and 1900. These men and women came to the United States from Cuba, Venezuela, China or Syria. “What I am trying to say with this intervention is that migration has always existed, but a political value has been placed on it. For four hours I cleaned the tombstones of forgotten people and called out their names accompanied by a trumpeter.” The case of “Human Love” also takes place in a graveyard, but this time located in Nueva Esperanza, in the Lima district of Villa María del Triunfo. Accompanied by musicians and tunantada dancers, a procession was held to remember the victims of violence. In this regard, Sikic specifies that “

More information: Venancio Shinki Space of the Miraflores ICPNA (Av. Angamos Oeste 120, Miraflores). Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 am to 6 pm, and Thursday through Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm, prior registration at the link cultural.icpna.edu.pe/visita-espacios-exposicion