Studies on Ritual Attire
STUDIES ON RITUAL ATTIRE is an ongoing series of artworks that combine ceramics, metal, and textiles, drawing inspiration from ancient adornments and tribal regalia of Latin American cultures. It explores the sacred and the practice of rituals through unwearable and decorative pieces.
The craftsmanship of ancient cultures of the Americas and the narratives behind their bodily adornments captivate me.
From Mapuche and Chimú silverwork to Mochica micro-mosaic mastery and Amazonian animal tooth creations, jewellery in pre-Hispanic times was prolific among indigenous peoples. You could distort a whole earlobe with enormous earrings to showcase status, jingle around wearing funky nose ornaments, acquire animal qualities by wearing its tooth on a necklace, or pay tribute to ancestors. Far from being mere accessories, they embody traditions, identity, beliefs, technical skills, and complex cultural cosmos. And perhaps most importantly, they stand as symbols of resistance against colonisation.
Reclaiming rituals it’s part of a decolonizing mindset. Rituals are expressions of collective consciousness, they foster connections among peers and provide a sense of continuity across generations. In our increasingly fragmented and individualistic society, as Byung-Chul Han suggests, we yearn for rituals. We yearn for preserving some sort of collective identity, often lost in the fast-paced and ever-changing contemporary world. STUDIES ON RITUAL ATTIRE is a footnote on the agency of objects as bearers of meaning, carrying histories, memories, and power relations with them. This series comments on the enduring significance of material culture in shaping human experience.
