Arturo Kameya in collaboration with Claudia MartĂ­nez Garay

Opaque Spirits

Project Info

  • đź’™ Marres, House for Contemporary Culture
  • đź’š Valentijn Byvanck
  • đź–¤ Arturo Kameya in collaboration with Claudia MartĂ­nez Garay
  • đź’ś Opaque Spirits is a painting that you can breathe in. The painting of spaces, objects, and animals offer a way for me to speak about things that otherwise would be too dramatic or too romantic to handle. The many references to Peru are essential to me.
  • đź’› Gert Jan van Rooij

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Arturo Kameya "Rosario" Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Arturo Kameya "Rosario" Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
The monumental facade of Marres, House for Contemporary Culture in Maastricht Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
The monumental facade of Marres, House for Contemporary Culture in Maastricht Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Artist Arturo Kameya in his exhibition Opaque Spirits Photo: Rob van Hoorn
Artist Arturo Kameya in his exhibition Opaque Spirits Photo: Rob van Hoorn
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
Opaque Spirits overview Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij
“Why do we pretend to have a state?” José Ignacio Cabrujas, 1987 The Venezuelan playwright Cabrujas once compared the nation to a hotel, a temporary place that doesn’t belong to its inhabitants and thus doesn’t require upkeep. In this hotel, the state plays the manager role but fails to cover even the most basic needs of its guests. Peruvian artist Arturo Kameya has transformed Marres into a hotel where the ghosts of the failed Peruvian state have taken up residence. The building’s facade will feature massive paintings showing contemporary Messianic imagery. Inside, visitors can find various scenes, such as a tiled bathhouse that functions as a restaurant, a multi-armed beer fountain, and a large upstairs room with mechanical fish. The hotel’s interior is an allegory of the Peruvian state, reflecting a world of appearances in which truth is less important than what is evoked out of sheer necessity.
Opaque Spirits is a painting that you can breathe in. The painting of spaces, objects, and animals offer a way for me to speak about things that otherwise would be too dramatic or too romantic to handle. The many references to Peru are essential to me.

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