A photographic exhibition of the Pukapakuri Wayri dancers of Urcuspampa.
Melanie Dizon
June 24, 2022
PUKAPAKURIS by Jero Gonzales
Pukapakuri Wayri of Urcuspampa, are a group of dancers that have been making pilgrimages for more than 140 years to the sanctuary of the Lord of Qoylloritty, a ritual festivity held in Cusco, Peru. Through oral tradition and the practice of ancestral customs, Pukapakuri Wayri has been forging its history and living culture in the community of Urcuspampa.
In Andean symbolism, macaw feathers were intended as an offering to the deities, as they had a strong relationship with the sun and fire. In the context of the pilgrimage to the Lord of Qoylloritty, the Pukapakuris use feathers in their costume to dance and thank the creator for sending us sacred waters.
The photographs exhibited by Jero Gonzales, taken between 2016-2018, give testimony to those ephemeral moments, from the festival in general to the individual driven by the energy of the place and ancestry; a glimpse of that liminal space where the sun meets the sky through ancestral music and dance.
PUKAPAKURIS is on exhibition through October 5.
*Limited Edition Prints from this exhibition will be available for sale. To view the full series, please email us at info@xapiriground.org for more information.
BIOGRAPHY | Jero Gonzales
Photographer Jero Gonzales (Cusco, Perú) is a graduate of the Centro de la Imagen (Lima, Perú). After finishing his studies, he returned to Cusco to start personal projects related to ethnography and Andean landscape. Parallel to his personal work, he organizes and develops visual education workshops with children and young people from Quechua-speaking communities, where the visual arts become an excuse to address issues of identity and cultural heritage.
As a photographer, he has a deep interest in territory and the Quechua language. The use of analog cameras allows him to realize new visual possibilities, through the exploration and combination of ancient and modern processes in the production of images.
