curated by danniel tostes
Sonnestube
Via Pier Francesco Mola 14, Lugano
with a Performance by Valeska Romero Curiqueo
The introduction piece of the exhibition is the sculpture Encuentros, created during Gamarra’s return from Bolivia in 2021. This work emerged from her desire to connect with her family in La Paz and organize her memories through this work. The sculpture incorporates organic forms that carry plants, seeds, flowers that connect with her ancestry and also the garlic that’s a tool used in healing processes of deep wounds.
Las flores también tienen hambre y Feroz con ternura mixes diverse materials, such as wood, metal, ceramics, and gold embroidery, evokes an empowerment energy of the carnival cultures from Bolivia and Peru. These elements blend to create a distinctive aesthetic while embodying the intersection of traditional and modern narratives.
The exhibition also features a performance by interdisciplinary artist Valeska Romero Curiqueo, enriching the dialogue on identity and decolonial narratives. For Romero, the body is the primary medium of expression. Her performance conveys memories, traumas, and emotions rooted in her cultural heritage and fragmented biography, evoking "monstrous" identities as a form of self-reclamation. In collaboration with Gamarra, the two artists crafted a metal sculpture of a mermaid’s tail. This piece, activated through Romero’s choreography, embodies their shared exploration of myth and empowerment.
The sculptures with references to mermaids draw inspiration from La Diablada, a folklore tale from the borderlands of Peru and Bolivia. Gamarra reimagines the mermaid as a warrior, a figure of strength and resilience. Her sculptures reclaim non-Western myths giving form to narratives often erased by history. This reinterpretation invites viewers to rethink demonized beings as companions and symbols of empowerment.
Through Gamarra’s sculptures and Romero’s performances, the exhibition challenges viewers to reconsider how identity is continually reshaped by migration, memory, and colonial legacies. The title, Encuentros, highlights encounters not only between materials but also between artists, audiences, and the intersection of diverse cultures and geographies.
By bringing Latin American narratives to Sonnestube in Lugano, Encuentros fosters cross-cultural engagement and highlights the intimate yet universal aspects of these stories. The exhibition becomes a space
for rethinking cultural heritage and imagining shared futures, exploring the complexities of belonging, resilience, and the connections that transcend borders.
© Sonnenstube and Mattia Angelini