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Carousel of the Arts takes a journey through the world of weaving with the help of Kenia Almaraz Murillo. This young Bolivian artist based in France rescues the traditional weaving technique of her native Bolivia, but introducing other codes, motifs and materials such as bamboo or LED lamps.
Kenya Almaraz Murillo was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia, an Andean country where weaving is an ancient tradition. The best known are the aguayos that are woven by hand with brightly colored threads.
Almaraz Murillo grew up among the aguayos that her grandmother, mother, and other women in her community wove. But it was in France that he sparked her interest in weaving. Thanks to a French artist, she learned to weave with a traditional loom, very similar to those used in the Andean countries. “It was a great discovery on my part, because in reality they are the same languages, the same techniques and the same machines,” she details. The loom she has comes from the town of Aubusson, famous for its traditional weaving.
Nowadays, weaving is part of the artistic language of Kenia Almaraz, but her works are constructed with other motifs and materials. Kenya’s works are inspired by the fauna and flora of the Bolivian Amazon jungle. On the other hand, light or materials such as wood or LED lamps join the fabric lines, as if wanting to trap light or nature in his works. “It is a tribute to each living being, to constantly thank the land for its beauty and abundance. Weaving light is like connecting the stars with the earthly and living beings,” explains the artist.
Almaraz Murillo also makes serigraphs, where he superimposes various planes of threads, painted with colored rectangles, and light. Under this format, he developed a series dedicated to the animals that disappeared during the 2019 forest fires in Bolivia.
Each work is built line by line. It is a work of patience, which invites meditation, he explains. For her, weaving is a way of connecting several worlds: Bolivia with France, the jungle and the city, nature and the work of man. “Beyond the craft, weaving is something symbolically very powerful and allows me to connect more with my Bolivia,” concludes the artist.
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