Visual Poetry
By Manuel Ramírez for Forbes Perú
“THE ENIGMATIC NATURE
OF DREAMS
IS TRANSCENDED IN THE
WORK
OF PERUVIAN ARTIST
MÁXIMO LAURA,
WHO SUCCEEDS IN
BRINGING
HANDMAND WEAVING
INTO THE REALMS
OF CONTEMPORARY ART.”
The scene is dominated by wide landscapes, culminating in a rustic colonial-style building. Just beyond, the majestic mountains of the Sacred Valley loom as if waiting to hear what Máximo Laura has to say.
The award-winning master tapestry weaver takes a moment from his class (which Americans, Canadians, Australians, Dutch, Chileans, and Argentinians attend to learn what he calls “the Laura technique”) to meet with Forbes Life. The purpose is to take a closer look at the work of a textile artist who, through preserving pre-Columbian symbolism, drives an ongoing search to contextualize the world from a different, original perspective that conveys the enigmatic nature of dreams.
Coming from a family that has been practicing this ancestral craft for five generations, he has been involved in weaving since he was a young boy. But as he grew up, his desire to express himself differently grew.
He later met figures like Kela Cremaschi, who taught him to break down the basic structures of weaving. Then he encountered contemporary textile art, which opened up new horizons and allowed him to elevate this discipline to an artistic form of expression.
“Combining my desire to draw and paint, I fell in love with it. And here I am, after more than 50 years, immersed in weaving,” says the master with a genuine smile.
“The creative part is what breaks the very thin and subtle barrier between art and craft”.
– Máximo Laura
A LEGACY THAT TRANSCENDS
Although both art and craft use the same materials and colors, the difference lies in the aesthetic principles. According to Máximo Laura, a work of art, like any visual art, has several elements, one of which is creativity. “This means: who does it, how they do it, and what patterns they follow. Usually this is the defining line between the two practices”.
For the renowned Peruvian artist, it is in the realm of design that the boundaries of craft are crossed – a practice that involves the repetitive creation of multiple pieces. However, when it comes to a completely new and unrepeatable piece, based on principles of aesthetics, composition, and development, “that’s where this very thin and subtle barrier is broken and we enter the realm of art,” he explains.
Due to the complexity of the work, a collector’s piece can take as long as two months to complete, and up to a year, depending on its size, the techniques used, and the number of colors.
For this reason, since the 1980s, when he left Ayacucho to move to Lima, the master decided to establish his workshop there. There, due to the nature of the craft and its slow pace, he implemented a system that allowed him to develop his work with the help of others whom he trained. “I consider tapestry as a project in which all the steps to create it can be detailed… and some parts can be transferred or delegated to others, specializing them,” he explains.
This peculiarity also allows him to continue passing on his knowledge through teaching, as he admits that this path is part of his life philosophy.
A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
Although his first encounter with this art was through pre-Columbian textiles, Laura admits that this characteristic only lasted for a short time in his work. As he did more research and became acquainted with other Peruvian artists, such as Fernando de Szyszlo or Gerardo Chávez, his interests began to move in other directions, increasingly toward contemporary design.
“The pre-Columbian work was a first stage; it was my first influence, and even today it serves more as a source of inspiration for the symbolic elements, which are very powerful,” he says.
This is the origin of his extensive body of work, part of which was recently exhibited in Chicago under the title A Journey in the Time of Dreams.
“By combining my desire to draw and paint, I fell completely in love with it. And here I am, after more than 50 years immersed in weaving,” says the master with a genuine smile.
The maestro mentions that some of the pieces from the exhibition could continue to be displayed in this city, due to the interest of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in ensuring that the work of Peruvian artists continues to be promoted in the United States.
The Ayacucho-born artist, who has exhibited more than 140 times in 29 countries around the world, will also soon participate in art fairs representing his country.
A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
Although his first encounter with this art was through pre-Columbian textiles, Laura admits that this characteristic only lasted for a short time in his work. As he did more research and became acquainted with other Peruvian artists, such as Fernando de Szyszlo or Gerardo Chávez, his interests began to move in other directions, increasingly toward contemporary design.
“The pre-Columbian work was a first stage; it was my first influence, and even today it serves more as a source of inspiration for the symbolic elements, which are very powerful,” he says.
This is the origin of his extensive body of work, part of which was recently exhibited in Chicago under the title A Journey in the Time of Dreams.
“By combining my desire to draw and paint, I fell completely in love with it. And here I am, after more than 50 years immersed in weaving,” says the master with a genuine smile.
The maestro mentions that some of the pieces from the exhibition could continue to be displayed in this city, due to the interest of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in ensuring that the work of Peruvian artists continues to be promoted in the United States.
The Ayacucho-born artist, who has exhibited more than 140 times in 29 countries around the world, will also soon participate in art fairs representing his country.
To appreciate his work when visiting Peru, the Máximo Laura Museum, located in Cusco, is open all year round.
In this small space filled with magic and color, more than 200 works are displayed, as well as videos and infographics that allow visitors to get closer to a legacy that has transcended Peruvian borders.
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