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Recycled paper mask, 'Vicus Ritual'

Jaime Zapata hand-crafts this mask reflecting a high-ranking Vicus personage wearing a reed headdress to present a religious ceremony or ritual. The serene expression evokes the inner tranquility of religious reassurance that Zapata so carefully recreates:

"When I make my masks I go for originality trying to be faithful to form - they do not have the rigueur of history, for the finished product has a modern-day flair with ancestral influence."



Using a combination of recycled paper, plaster, and natural reed, Jaime Zapata explores his profound Peruvian roots, finding the spell for giving life to such elements, transforming them into a vibrant celebration of a glorious past.

The Vicus culture was made known to the world for the first time in a Swiss art gallery, through photographs of pieces traded by Peruvian huaqueros (“treasure hunters”). Its origin has been traced to the Vicus Mountain in Northern Peru. Magnificent and advanced, its influence has been detected as far as Ecuador.

Note: Some contemporary artisans including Zapata draw inspiration from pre-Hispanic iconography in the crafting of their products, However, they also like to blend in their unique style and vision, resulting in stylized versions that serve to express the human emotions that witness ancient Peruvian cultures.