Back in 2014 in the central jungle of Peru, a Peruvian artist brought to life a dream he had been pursuing since he completed a life changing experience as an artist in residence in Koh Yao Noi Island in Thailand, and became a Peace Art Agent.
During the residency, he became profoundly aware of his surroundings, and encouraged by meditation, he noticed - as if it was for the first time - the natural environment in which he was submerged and how much impact it had in his creative process as an artist.
As usually happens at the end of great journeys, the experience in Thailand triggered many questions that eventually turned into ideas, which after hard work, finally materialized in Machaqmara.
Machaqmara means the rebirth and renewal of all energies that allow the balance between mankind and nature in Aymara (a native language still used in the South American highlands). This word filled with emotion and significance seemed to perfectly sum up that experience in Thailand, and what he now intended to recreate in Peru.
The goal was to launch the first program of artists in residency in Peru under the mission of connecting and exchanging contemporary art with traditional artistic expressions of native communities with a specific and critical awareness of public space, environmental consciousness and citizenship.
After the very successful two editions, watching how local and international artists go beyond their practice to undertake that same personal growth that once inspired this project has been overwhelming. For both the residence artists and the native community, Machaqmara has quickly become a way to connect: with each other, with nature, with themselves.
Our town
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Back in 2014 in the central jungle of Peru, a Peruvian artist brought to life a dream he had been pursuing since he completed a life changing experience as an artist in residence in Koh Yao Noi Island in Thailand, and became a Peace Art Agent.
During the residency, he became profoundly aware of his surroundings, and encouraged by meditation, he noticed - as if it was for the first time - the natural environment in which he was submerged and how much impact it had in his creative process as an artist.
As usually happens at the end of great journeys, the experience in Thailand triggered many questions that eventually turned into ideas, which after hard work, finally materialized in Machaqmara. Machaqmara means the rebirth and renewal of all energies that allow the balance between mankind and nature in Aymara (a native language still used in the South American highlands). This word filled with emotion and significance seemed to perfectly sum up that experience in Thailand, and what he now intended to recreate in Peru.
The goal was to launch the first program of artists in residency in Peru under the mission of connecting and exchanging contemporary art with traditional artistic expressions of native communities with a specific and critical awareness of public space, environmental consciousness and citizenship. After the very successful two growth that once inspired this project has been overwhelming. For both the residence artists and the native community, Machaqmara has quickly become a way to connect: with each other, with nature, with themselves.
Machaqmara Center for the Arts (MCA) is now a solid and recognized Peruvian cultural organization committed to inspiring creative citizens, promoting innovation in the development of useful public space, and its revitalization through artistic and educational projects. It aims to share and facilitate the access to new platforms that allow the improvement and exchange of information, media, tools, discussion, experiences or ideas amongst different cultures
Machaqmara Center for the Arts (MCA) is now a solid and recognized Peruvian cultural organization committed to inspiring creative citizens, promoting innovation in the development of useful public space, and its revitalization through artistic and educational projects. It aims to share and facilitate the access to new platforms that allow the improvement and exchange of information, media, tools, discussion, experiences or ideas amongst different cultures
MCA’s Artist in Residence (A.I.R.) program gathers ten artists, either emerging, in progress or already consolidated, from all over the world and from different artistic disciplines for a self-developmental program to live together for two weeks in the middle of the breathtaking Peruvian central jungle to engage in a process that surrounds them in nature and immerses them in native communities and traditions throughout the national territory and its inspiring landscapes.
Machaqmara : Rebirth & Renewal
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