Constantino Laura: arte y persona

Constantino Laura, tejedor, pintor y poeta peruano, proviene de una familia de tejedores de Ayacucho. Actualmente es uno de los artistas textiles contemporáneos más reconocidos en América Latina y su trayectoria incluye prestigiosas bienales y exposiciones textiles en todo el mundo.

La tradición del telar andino está íntimamente ligada a una gran espiritualidad, la cual representa aptitud y técnica, actitud ante la vida y, sobre todo, ejercicios de crecimiento personal. En el caso del Maestro tejedor Constantino Laura, me imagino sus comienzos al lado de su padre, absorbiendo cada detalle y cada intención, como si fueran semillas que cuidaría y haría crecer en el tiempo.

" Luz Tiempo y Color a través de tu MIrada" 120 x 160 cm.jpg

Constantino Laura. “Luz, tiempo y color a través de tu mirada”. 120 X 160 cm. Tapiz.

En cada uno de nosotros hay un potencial de iluminación que todos podemos desarrollar haciéndolo crecer. Dicha frase denota un pensamiento espiritual, pero también, si lo transportamos a la obra de Laura, también denota el uso de luminosidad central, o puntos focales desde los cuales logra expandir su propuesta, con los mismos juegos de luz que emplea en sus pinturas.

" Presencia Infinita del Amor " 120 x 160 cm. Tapiz tejido a mano. Alpaca, algodón y fibras mixtas.jpg

“Presencia infinita del amor”. Tapiz. 120 X 160 cm.

Dentro de su inmensidad técnica, su obra parece pintura y tapiz al mismo tiempo, de manera que podemos volver a hacer una relación espiritual al sentido de “Ayra”: hacer dos cosas a la vez, mientras que también conecta con su gran mundo de simbología y pertenencia pictórica.

" Cuzco Mágico " 120 x 160 cm..jpg

Constantino Laura. “Cuzco Mágico”. Obra Ganadora del Primer Concurso de Diseño para la Innovación de la Artesanía Peruana. Organizado por el Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo ( MINCETUR ) Año 2004.

Desde hace varios años he admirado la obra de Constantino, pero no fue sino hasta octubre del 2017, durante la VII Bienal de Arte Textil de la WTA en Uruguay, que tuve la gran dicha de conocerle personalmente. Creo que no es lo mismo ver la obra de determinado artista, “en seco”, que poder empezar a comprender su simbolismo y compararla con su propio creador. En ese sentido, Tino Laura es tan poético como su obra y, con su percepción de la vida y su intención al plasmarla en urdimbre, lienzo o papel, él modela su energía viviente y la proyecta hacia lo positivo. Dentro del mundo rápido y a veces impersonal en el cual vivimos, resulta sumamente refrescante contar con la calidad artística del creador y de su creación: ambos regando energía y color por todo el Cosmos viviente.

https://www.facebook.com/ConstantinoLaurat/

—Silvia Piza-Tandlich, artista textil (Costa Rica). http://www.galeriaoctagono.com

Constantino Laura, Peruvian weaver, painter, and poet comes from a family of weavers from Ayacucho. Currently he is one of the most recognized contemporary textile artists in Latin America, and his trajectory includes prestigious biennials and textile expositions worldwide.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ8ZBr2Zt7I&feature=youtu.be

Andean tapestry tradition is intimately tied to great spirituality, which represents aptitude and technique, attitude before Life and, above all, exercises in personal growth. In the case of Master Weaver Constantino Laura, I imagine his beginnings alongside his father, absorbing every detail and every intention as if they were seeds he’d cared for and would make grow in time.

There is illumination potential in each of us, which we can develop and make it grow. That statement denotes a spiritual thought, but if transported to Laura’s body of work, it also denotes the use of a central luminosity or focal points, from where he achieves expansion of his artistic proposal—with the same light games he employs in his paintings.

Within his technical immensity, his work seems to be painting and tapestry at the same time, so we can again make the spiritual comparison to the meaning of “Ayra” as to make two things at once, while it also connects with his great world of symbology and pictorial belonging.

For several years I have admired Constantino’s work, but it wasn’t until October 2017 during the 7thWTA Textile Art Biennial in Uruguay that I had the joy to meet him personally. I think it’s not the same to see any artist’s work alone, than to be able to comprehend its symbolism, and compare it with its creator. In that sense, Tino Laura is as poetic as his work and, with his perception of life and his intention to translate it to loom, canvas, or paper he models his living energy, projecting it towards the positive. In today’s fast and sometimes impersonal world in which we live, it is very refreshing to have the creator’s artistic quality alongside his creation: Both spreading energy and color throughout the living Cosmos.

—Silvia Piza-Tandlich, textile artist, Costa Rica. http://www.galeriaoctagono.com

To see more of Constantino Laura, visit his page:

https://www.facebook.com/ConstantinoLaurat/

" Tu Corazón es un Canto de Aves " 120 x 160 cm " .jpg

Constantino Laura. “Tu Corazón es un Canto de Aves”. 120 x 160 cm

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INTERNATIONAL WORK-STUDY OPPORTUNITY: TINKUY DE TEJEDORES

Deadline: Friday, November 01, 2013

http://www.textilescusco.org/

Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco

The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) will be hosting their second Tinkuy de Tejedores (Gathering of Weavers) in November, 2013. The first one was held in 2010, and was attended by more than 400 people from a dozen countries of the Americas.

The 2013 event will be three days in duration, Nov 12-15, add-on workshops and tours to weaving communities in the Peruvian highlands. It will consist of keynote presentations by internationally-known textile authorities, plus hands-on workshops and demonstrations by weavers, spinners, and knitters from the Americas and beyond.

Working relationships will be with Event Director Hilda Roque and Director for the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, Nilda Callañaupa. The internship will include working with a local tour company that will handle international visitors and land tours, answering inquiries from foreign attendees, overseeing publicity and marketing in English-speaking countries, and other responsibilities as needed.

The ideal candidate will be fluent in English and Spanish, comfortable working with indigenous people, experienced in organizing groups and events, conversant in general business and office software (Microsoft Office Word, Excel, etc), have strong  communication skills, and possession of a lively sense of adventure.
Please contact Nilda Callañaupa at cttc@terra.com.pe for more details.