When Mexico meets Peru (collages)

Mexico and Peru are countries that share many things in common. They are the cradle of great historic civilizations : Aztecs and Mayas in Mexico – Incas in Peru. Even if they have been dramatically eradicated by human ignorance, they are still very alive. Mexico and Peru are countries where the present and the past live together, simultaneously. Pre-colombian cultures, spanish colonial influences and modernity create a surprisingly coherent mosaic. It feels like the word « syncretism » have been invented for those countries. Pre-colombian religions have been integrated in catholic believes (or is it the opposite?). Everything is about mixing different cultures (american, european and sometimes african), different influences. It’s true for the religions, but also for the food, the painting, the music, the languages (spanish with many quecha words in the peruvian Andes), the people,… Using pictures I took in those two countries and making collages out of them, incorporating mexican aztec temples in peruvian landscapes, I tried to underline how similar (and also different) those nations are. That was also my way to give back what those countries and more than anything their people gave me. An ode to Mexico and Peru.