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La Mirada Oculta – Vernissage
October 11, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm CEST

This exhibition is an introduction to @karmenkraft ‘s exploration of the enigmatic world of the tapadas limeñas and how their history and symbolism are reflected in her creative process. The tapadas, women who in Lima between the 16th and 19th centuries covered their bodies, revealing only one eye, represent a tradition that combines mystery, identity, and resistance. This aspect of Lima’s culture not only provided anonymity but also allowed a form of freedom in a society that limited female expression.
Karmen Kraft’s creative process focuses on the gaze, a key element in representing the tapadas. She always starts by drawing the eyes, using their lines and shapes to develop broader compositions. From there, she adds more lines and colors until the figure and composition are complete. In this project, the eye becomes the focal point through which she explores how a single eye can convey a rich range of emotions, secrets, and meanings. This approach highlights the eye’s ability to communicate what is hidden and what remains in the shadows.
The theme of the tapadas resonates deeply with Kraft’s Peruvian roots, as her mother is Peruvian and the history of the tapadas has been on her mind for a long time. By adopting this attire, both women and men challenged the social conventions of their time and found a way to navigate their world with unusual freedom. Today, street artists in Lima continue to explore the theme of the tapadas, modernizing the concept while keeping the spirit of mystery and anonymity alive.
This exhibition is just a taste, a glimpse into a future, more in-depth exploration of the theme. Through her work, Karmen Kraft aims to investigate and present how the tradition of the tapadas can be reinterpreted in a contemporary context, highlighting how anonymity and independence can serve as forms of resistance and self-expression. “La Mirada Oculta”, or “The Veiled Gaze”, not only explores the visible and the hidden but also the relationship between personal freedom and identity in a society that once limited these possibilities.
She hopes this exhibition serves as a first step towards a deeper understanding of how the tapadas, through their presence and their veils, offer a rich narrative about identity, freedom, and resistance.
Vernissage:
October 11th, 2024
19:00 – 23:00
Live music by Monica Coronado, from 20:00
Drinks and Live Music with donations
At: The Bleed
Wrangelstraße 48, Berlin, 10997
Exhibition Duration:
October 11th 2024 – November 2nd 2024
https://www.facebook.com/events/1068144204281596/