Grimanesa Amorós facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grimanesa Amorós
|
|
|---|---|
Grimanesa Amorós Uros Island, Venice Biennial 2011
|
|
| Born |
Grimanesa Amorós
1962 (age 62–63) |
| Nationality | Peruvian-born American |
| Known for | Installation art, Light Art |
|
Notable work
|
Uros House (2011), Uros Island (2011), "Golden Waters" (2015), "Pink Lotus" (2015) |
| Awards | National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artists Fellowship Grant and the Art in Embassies Program |
Grimanesa Amorós (born in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian-American artist. She is famous for creating huge sculptures made of light. Grimanesa gets her ideas from Peruvian culture and the places where her art is displayed.
Her amazing light sculptures have been shown in many countries. You can find her art in Mexico, Tel Aviv, Beijing, and even in New York's famous Times Square.
Contents
About Grimanesa Amorós
Grimanesa Amorós was born in Lima, Peru. When she was young, she loved drawing maps. As a teenager, she studied both psychology and art. She went to the Miguel Gayo Art Atelier in Lima. By the time she was eighteen, Grimanesa had her first art show. All of her paintings sold out!
In the 1980s, Amorós moved to New York City to become a full-time artist. She earned a scholarship to study painting and printmaking. This was at the Art Students League of New York. She started her career as a painter. Later, she began to create three-dimensional artworks, which are sculptures.
Amazing Light Sculptures
Huanchaco Series: Big and Bright Art
Golden Array (2021)
Golden Array is one of Amorós's biggest artworks. It is three blocks long and three stories high! This light sculpture was made for a cultural center in Mumbai, India. Grimanesa was inspired by the many telephone lines seen on Indian streets.
Argentum (2019)
Argentum was created for the Bronx Museum in New York. This sculpture is made from stainless steel. It was inspired by how stainless steel was used to build many parts of Manhattan.
Cetha (2019)
Cetha is a red light sculpture. Grimanesa made it while staying at the Civita Institute in Italy. The artwork was inspired by the ancient Etruscan people and their connection to the sun.
Hedera (2018)
BRIC, an arts organization, asked Grimanesa to create Hedera. This large light sculpture was placed in Prospect Park in New York. Amorós wanted the sculpture to help people feel closer to nature. She hoped it would make them celebrate diversity and their shared humanity.
Ocupante (2016)
In 2016, Grimanesa showed her artwork called "Ocupante" at the Ludwig Museum Koblenz in Germany. The museum displayed three of her pieces. Two were large sculptures, and one was a video. The Spanish word "ocupante" means "occupiers" or "owners."
Pink Lotus (2015)
This LED light sculpture was placed on the outside of The Peninsula New York hotel. It was made for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The artwork highlights two Roman goddesses on the hotel's building.
Golden Waters (2015)
Golden Waters was inspired by ancient waterways. These were built by the Hohokam tribe in the 13th century. The sculpture is attached to the Soleri bridge in Arizona. It runs next to a canal. This LED sculpture shows the changing balance between cities and nature.
Breathless Maiden Lane (2014)
Breathless Maiden Lane was installed in a large glass and marble space in New York City. Amorós used LED lights and "bubble" sculptures. The LED tubes looked like reeds from northern Peru. The bubbles reminded people of the artificial islands of Lake Titicaca.
The Mirror Connection (2013)
The Mirror Connection was a light sculpture that showed exposed wires and changing light patterns. It was on display from June 2 to June 22, 2013.
Fortuna (2013)
Fortuna was a special light sculpture made for a building in Madrid, Spain. It was named after a tobacco brand. This brand used to be made in the factory where the art was displayed.
Uros Series: Floating Island Inspiration
Grimanesa Amorós often uses the "Uros Islands" as an idea for her light sculptures. These are floating islands on Lake Titicaca, between Peru and Bolivia. The Uros people, who lived there before the Incas, made the islands from dried totora reeds. When Amorós first visited, she felt a sense of lightness and connection while walking on them.
The Uros people also use these reeds to build houses and boats. Grimanesa uses the shapes and patterns of these reeds in her light sculptures.
Here are some artworks from the Uros Series:
Uros House in Times Square
This artwork was part of a public art program in Times Square, New York. Uros House uses the traditional shape of Uros island homes. It also looks like the beauty of sea foam. This piece was later shown at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Louisiana.
Uros Island at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011)
Uros Island was shown at a big art exhibition in Venice, Italy. This installation later traveled to museums in the Netherlands, Taiwan, and China.
Uros at Tribeca Issey Miyake (2011)
This artwork featured bubbles that created an interesting look with the store's unique design.
Golden Uros (2011)
Golden Uros was part of the APART Festival in Tarascon, France. It was displayed in a chapel.
Racimo (2010)
Racimo was Grimanesa Amorós's first very large light sculpture. It was made for the Allure of the Seas cruise ship. This was the biggest cruise ship in the world at the time! The sculpture was inspired by the vineyards Grimanesa grew up near.
Working with Others
Grimanesa Amorós has worked with many other artists.
She created a light sculpture called Timeless Motion (In Life and Light) for an event in Paris, France.
In 2014, she worked with a fashion label called Akiko Elizabeth Maie.
Grimanesa also teamed up with musician Ivri Lider. He created the music for her video called "Miranda." This video was shown with her sculpture, Light between the Islands, in 2013.
Amorós worked with Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca. Susana Baca was also Peru's Minister of Culture. Baca made original music for Grimanesa's video "Between Heaven and Earth." Grimanesa also designed the CD cover for Baca's 2011 album, Afrodiaspora.
For her video Rootless Algas, Grimanesa worked with Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, who made the music. The video was shown with her sculptures of large, colorful algae.
In Reflexion Obscura, she worked with José Luis Pardo. He is a Grammy-winning musician.
For La Incubadora, she worked with Meshell Ndegeocello, another Grammy-nominated artist.
In 2011, she also worked with fashion designer Manuel Fernandez for his "Fashion Art" show.
Awards and Recognition
Grimanesa Amorós has received several important awards. These include the AIM Alumni Artist Award from the Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York. She also received the Visual Artist Fellowship from The National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC.
In 2014, she was a speaker at TED Global, a famous conference where people share big ideas.
