colorful masks

Warm fields of color reveal ancient masks in abstract shapes. Working in virgin wool, Zosimo Laura weaves an exquisite rug with intricate patterns. He uses the warm hues favored by the Inca.

Titled "Composición de máscaras" in Spanish.

Woven by hand, this colorful accent rug depicts ceremonial masks on a scarlet background. Efrain Curi works in wool to create his dazzling design on the handloom. Pre-Hispanic geometric motifs around the edge depict Pacific waves.

Alejandro Chávez crafts a mirror frame rooted in Andean tradition with four different vignettes. At the top, people harvest tunas, the red fruit of the prickly pear cactus. To the left, merchants offer warm blankets in a market stall and to the right they sell handcrafted masks. Used during the Carnival celebrations preceding Lent, the masks appear in an astonishing array of animals, human and fantasy faces. Along the bottom, dancers perform the Scissors Dance. Known as retablos, these traditional dioramas feature figures carefully molded from ceramic plaster and painted by hand.

This mirror reflects the festive traditions of the Andes, when people wear colorful and sometimes mystical masks to celebrate their patron saint. Alejandro Chávez crafts each mask by hand of ceramic. Known as a retablo, the diorama's intricate hand-shaped figurines are housed in a colorful wood chest.

Alejandro Chávez crafts a mirror frame rooted in Andean tradition. Varied scenes represent Carnavalito (Little Carnival), a celebration held in the Peruvian Andes. Musicians play traditional instruments, participants re-enact the birth of Jesus, incredible masks hang on the wall, and a couple stands beneath a towering prickly pear cactus. Known as a retablo, this traditional diorama is housed in a colorful chest crafted of wood and painted. Chávez carefully models each figure from ceramic plaster and paints them by hand.