GUAPISIMAS
PEPE LOPEZ
January 23, — March 23, 2025
Dot Fiftyone Gallery is proud to presents, Guapísimas: A Personal Journey Through Cultural Exchange and Transformation, by artist Pepe López. This exhibition offers a compelling exploration of cultural syncretism, where tradition and modernity intersect in intricate and, at times, uneasy ways.
A people's cultural identity is constantly evolving, shaped by its own history and interactions with external influences. This dialogue between different cultures is established through a relationship of exchanges, merging elements that would otherwise remain separate and expanding the possibilities of expression. By blending diverse cultural elements, new meanings and forms emerge, enriching the visual language and deepening our understanding of identity in a globalized world.
At the heart of the exhibition is López’s Guapísimas Installation, 2025, a collection of discarded and broken baskets originally woven by artisans from Indigenous communities of the Piapoco, Curripaco, and Ye’kuana ethnic groups in Venezuela’s Amazon Region. Through a transformative process of hand-painting and embroidery, carried out in his Paris studio and during a summer 2024 residency at El Espacio 23 in Miami, López imbues these artifacts with new meanings.
López began the Guapísimas series in 2004, his first goal was to learn the traditional art of basket weaving from Indigenous artisans and incorporate these new skills into his artistic practice. He was drawn to their unique cultural heritage, intricate weaving techniques, and rich symbolism. However, what began as a quest to absorb Indigenous craft soon evolved into a far more complex engagement with the intersection of Indigenous tradition and global consumerism. What López encountered was a fascinating artistic practice and a lens through which he could reflect on the broader cultural shifts transforming these communities.
The Guapísimas series took root in Puerto Ayacucho, a town nestled in the heart of the Amazon, where dense jungles meet the forces of modernity. This region represents the clash between ancient traditions and the global forces of modernization and consumerism. It is here that Indigenous communities, once living on the fringes of the modern world, began to experience the profound effects of globalization. Media exposure, humanitarian aid, and the influx of Western consumer goods had already altered their everyday lives, introducing new values, symbols, and aspirations. As López visited various Indigenous communities, he realized that the landscape of their identities was rapidly changing. The younger generations, once taught the art of basket-weaving by their elders, were growing increasingly distant from these traditions, drawn instead to the symbols of Western consumerism—the promise of modernity, comfort, and status.
In many ways, the Guapísimas series functions as a visual travel journal, with each basket serving as a page in a diary of syncretism. Every intervention—be it through paint or embroidery—reflects a chapter in the evolving dialogue between Indigenous traditions and global culture. These transformed baskets narrate the story of an intersection, where histories, myths, and practices converge. They embody the complexities of cultural exchange, capturing both the weight of the past and the forces of change shaping the future.
Through this process, López opens a space for reflection on how cultures are constantly reshaped through their encounters with external forces. The Guapísimas series becomes an ethnographic narrative, documenting the evolving identity of a community in the context of globalization.
In the documentary video featured in the exhibition, viewers will observe elements of Western culture seamlessly integrated into the daily lives of the communities López visited. He encountered Suzuki-brand motorcycles, Pikachu and Hello Kitty plush toys, Spider-Man-themed t-shirts, New York Yankees caps, and many other Western cultural references. However, what struck him most was the recurring presence of mural paintings inside homes, some of them depicting characters from the Japanese manga series Dragon Ball Z and Shaman King. This discovery is particularly fascinating to López, as it suggests a deeper connection between the beliefs of these communities and the myths of other cultures. Both mythologies feature enlightened warriors, stardust, and shamans, bridging seemingly disparate worlds.
A floor painting by Lopez, depicting the Orinoco River and its tributaries to scale, is part of the show, which is also ambiented by 3 sound pieces, created specifically for the exhibition, by musician Miguel La Corte. Pseudo Ecologies is a frequency modulation synthesis process based on rhythmic patterns of stridulating insects, creating a new sonic experience that explores the ecologies of these insects of the Amazon.
How does cultural identity evolve in a globalized world? How do the younger generations within Indigenous communities perceive their cultural heritage? How can art serve as both a vehicle for cultural preservation and a tool for cultural evolution? These are some of the important questions that guide Lopez’s work and contribute to the intercultural dialogue he is presenting with Guapísimas exhibition at Dot Fiftyone Gallery. Through this body of work, Pepe López seeks to offer a deeper understanding of the complexities of identity, cultural diversity, and the transformative power of art in a globalized world.
Click here to download the artist’s statement
Click here to see the artworks
Click here to watch an interview to Pepe Lopez