“The rhythm of my sternum: Four decades between Lima and Berlin”: the anthological exhibition by Carolina Kecskemethy

The life of the artist Carolina Kecskemethy is divided between two countries: Germany, where he learned to portray body movements by observing ballet dancers, and Peru, where experimentation and symbolism took shape in large exhibitions that began in 1981. After four decades of artistic production, Kecskemethy brings together , after three years of preparation, the work of a lifetime in the anthological exhibition “The rhythm of my sternum: Four decades between Lima and Berlin”, which will come to an end this Sunday, September 24 at the Espacio Germán Krüger Espantoso del ICPNA Miraflores.

“I have been in different places, and it could be said that my heart is broken, but not in the sentimental sense, but in terms of detachment towards a place in a nationalistic way. Instead, I distance myself, absorb cultural elements, and when I return to a place, I rearrange them to create different things by mixing them.”, comments Kecskemethy in an interview with El Comercio.

This exhibition is made up of nearly one hundred works spanning a variety of disciplines, including painting, printmaking, video and installation. These pieces, many of which are presented for the first time in Peru, reflect the diversity of influences and approaches that Kecskemethy has addressed throughout her career, addressing themes such as domestic space, grief, migration, erotic desire and landscape.

The body as a canvas

The title of the exhibition, “The Rhythm of My Sternum,” is based on the idea of ​​considering this bone as a biological shield that influences the shape and rhythm of the body, serving as a starting point for several of the artist’s works. “I always show my chest as the gateway to something new, like a compass that guides us to explore different spaces in search of unexpected connections.” explains Kecskemethy.

Through the search for new ways to express his art, he delved into various disciplines, highlighting his installations, a novel proposal that he shared with the Peruvian artist Claudia Polar. “Now I don’t have those complete facilities, but rather the essence of some of the facilities put together. It is complex because it is not simply about moving them from one place to another, but about completely reassembling them.”, emphasizes the artist, who, during this stage of her life, learned to deal with moments of non-production. “We are not factories, we must understand that it is important to always remember that”, he adds.

The geographical distance between Lima and her residence in Berlin was also an important factor in the artist’s career, but not an obstacle, since she maintains her ancestral ties along with her active participation in the Lima art scene. Due to this, she offered this anthological exhibition at the ICPNA in Miraflores, which will soon come to an end. “After two months of exposure, this is coming to a conclusion. I feel a little sad, although not in a bad way, because I understand that art is like that, ephemeral.”, he concludes.