Learn about Lima’s Artistic Identity at the Gráfica Urbana Exhibit
Learn about how artists interpret and demonstrate Peruvian culture by visiting the Gráfica Urbana Exhibit at Icpna (Jr. Cusco 446) in downtown Lima. The show will be open to the public from now until September 20th.
Curated by Jaime Higa and Rafael Llimós, 
the art pieces reference the Andean world, Peruvian literary figures, pop culture and popular national aesthetics.
Included are works by Lici Ramírez, who paints murals mainly in the troubled outlying communities of Lima. He includes symbolic Andean symbols such as the amaru in his pieces. This mythological creature, which combines a dragon-like body with the head of a llama, can be found among large-eyed uniformed schoolchildren and other stylized elements of daily local life.
The Los Salvajes (Wild Ones) art collective is also participating by providing works made with found and recycled materials.
In a year when many of Lima’s beloved murals and public artworks were erased, in what artists characterized as an anti-popular art initiative and officials in the new mayor’s administration insisted was just basic maintenance, supporting local artists and being open to the messages they want to share seems even more important.
If you’re interested in learning more about the art scene in Lima, make sure to spend an afternoon in Barranco, the city’s ‘bohemian’ district. (It now makes international lists on the most hipster neighborhoods in the world…) Aside from plenty of greenery, seaside views, colorful homes, and the Bridge of Sighs, Barranco also includes some of the best public art and private art galleries in Lima. Make sure to check out our post on the Mario Testino Museum to learn about why it should definitely make your list.