Cecilia Vicuña
Quipu Gut
29 August 2024—9 August 2026
Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL, USA
Quipu Gut by Cecilia Vicuña is a large hanging red fabric sculpture made in 2017 of dyed unspun wool inspired by the ancient quipu system. The sculpture’s dimensions vary depending on the gallery space in which the work is installed. Within the double height gallery at Perez Art Museum Miami, the fabric sculpture hangs slightly off center from the gallery ceiling at a height of 30 feet.
A striking centerpiece within this gallery space, a tall structure of thick, bright red ropes hanging from the ceiling and has eight connecting points at the top of a wire circle frame and is knotted at different points in the fabric sculpture. s sculpture reaches from the ceiling to the floor, with the excess fabric lying on the gallery floor.
This piece is accompanied by a video component created by the artist in 2017. The video is visually displayed on the wall right of the entrance to this gallery on a 60-inch flat-screen monitor. In the film we see the artist working together with her crew through the ritual steps needed to install the work into the gallery space. From splitting the unspun wool into eight fabric pieces to chanting a prayer-like song with indigenous reference, and dancing and maneuverings around one another to tie the knots into the wool. The final step of this installation shows each Quipu rope being hung from the circle wire frame and the artist guides where these ropes will land and lay on the gallery floor. This Video provides guidance to guests and a deeper exploration of the concepts in Cecilia’s work.