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Otorongo

Sculpture of a jaguar, somewhat bear-like and grinning widely, seated on its haunches. It is covered in an intricate, maze-like pattern in brown, cream and red.
© The Shipibo Conibo Center. Courtesy of the artist, Salon 94, and The Shipibo Conibo Center.

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  • Sculpture of a jaguar, somewhat bear-like and grinning widely, seated on its haunches. It is covered in an intricate, maze-like pattern in brown, cream and red.

Date:

2020

Artist:

Celia Vasquez Yui (Shipibo, born 1960)

About this artwork

This jaguar, or otorongo in Quechua, was created as part of Vasquez Yui’s series The Council of the Mother Spirits of the Animals, which advanced a spiritual understanding of ecology. The feline confronts our human gaze, as if acknowledging the devastating losses of habitat in the Amazon Jungle. The cat’s spotted fur is elaborately rendered in finely incised and painted patterns called kené. These designs represent worldviews and energy pathways and can be evoked in song to promote healing.

Status

On View, Gallery 136

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Celia Vasquez Yui

Culture

Shipibo-Conibo

Title

Otorongo

Places

Peru (Artist's nationality:), Pucallpa (Object made in)

Date

2020

Medium

Coil-built clay with pre-fire slip-paint and vegetal resins

Dimensions

58.5 Ă— 33.1 Ă— 44.5 cm (23 Ă— 13 Ă— 17 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Arts of the Americas Discretionary Fund

Reference Number

2022.161

Copyright

© The Shipibo Conibo Center. Courtesy of the artist, Salon 94, and The Shipibo Conibo Center.

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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