Roberto Aguilar Quisbert (born 6 December 1962), better known as Roberto Mamani Mamani, is a Bolivian artist. Roberto Mamani Mamani is a self-taught, first-generation indigenous artist from Bolivia. who also goes by the name Roberto Aguilar Quisbert. The media Mamani Mamani works with are drawing and painting. Robert's art is driven by the inspiration of his culture and traditions, resulting in his work to become very colorful in order to mimic traditional colorful clothing that is worn in his culture. He is part of a two Indigenous groups located Southern America called

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

and

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

. It was forbidden for Roberto's parents to marry due to the tribe they belonged to, therefore they runway from Tiahuanacu to Cochapampa-land is where Robert and his sister grow up. Due to relocation and different customs it was hard for Robert not to notice that they were different from the community they lived in. Our to the different tribal backgrounds his work is significant in its use of

indigenous

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

and

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

Education

Roberto was the first in his family to graduate from high school, later he enrolled in to Universidad Mayor de San Andrés de La Paz. to study law. However his love for art and wanting to understand his self identity push him to create artwork. With his art work on the rise Roberto took inspiration from traditional

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

clothing his mother would wear. It is important to note that Mamani Mamani began to create art, without "proper./ formal training". Roberto experimented with paintings with ashes, clay, stones and other inexpensive materials from his surroundings. Roberto art takes more inspiration from Aymara tribe. Also known as

Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

. Merging heavily Aymara believes,

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and Mamani Mamani worlds and experiences together, he created his own "world"/ style of the combination. Naming it Andean Universe His art work mostly consisted of painting, Mamani Mamani's

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

s draw upon his Aymara heritage, and include colorfully stylized images of indigenous mothers, condors, suns, and moons, among other themes. Mamani Mamani uses strong vibrant colors similar to the colors featured in the traditional handmade weavings that are widely used by the indigenous people of the Bolivian Altiplano. His use of indigenous symbols is especially significant in the

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

n context where

cultures have been viewed as inferior to

European culture The culture of Europe is diverse, and rooted in its art, architecture, traditions, cuisines, music, folklore, embroidery, film, literature, economics, philosophy and religious customs. Definition Whilst there are a great number of pers ...

Artwork

Murals

In 2016, he made murals at the walls of the Wiphala social housing complex, located in

El Alto El Alto (Spanish for "The Heights") is the List of Bolivian cities by population, second-largest city in Bolivia, located adjacent to La Paz in Pedro Domingo Murillo Province on the Altiplano highlands. El Alto is today one of Bolivia's fastest- ...

. This is mural project that consists of seven blocks and 12 story high making it the second largest

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

in this country. This project is also important because it is the first time in history that the government's state has interfered with their peoples living conditions. These

apartments An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

were created to help peoples living conditions in this city. therefore these apartments are exclusively for low income families, freshly married couples, and students. These renovated apartments are sold at half market prices value when compared to near by housing. This project took proximally 5 months to complete.

Fashion trade

Mamani Mamani has also partnered up with the Embassy of the PlurinationalState of Bolivia to make more substantial trade. Involving the global fashion exchange and the Vouge magazine in April 2019. This resulted in recruitment of Bolivia designers to collaborate with the fashion industry to promote this fair trade.

Art programs

Georgina Javor partnered with Roberto and others. To create art programs through D.C., this program include

workshops Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

for young children to creating works inspired by

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

art. The goal of this program was to teach young artists and musicians about the

Quechuan Quechua (, ), also called (, 'people's language') in Southern Quechua, is an indigenous language family that originated in central Peru and thereafter spread to other countries of the Andes. Derived from a common ancestral " Proto-Quechua" l ...

, and other indigenous culture. The craftsmanship shown to these children holds a lot of symbolism, color and tradition from these communities. This project has resulted in leading to 60 exhibitions throughout the state. Thought this program 25 of Roberto work has been curated and Mamani is seen as a cultural value to this community.Since this project Roberto has also showcased in exhibitions with smaller artist. Roberto has also collaborated with

University of Philadelphia Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. The university is ...

in 2021. Under the Latin American Center and Latin studies. He creating a mural featuring indigenous people, animals and landscape of the area. The university collaborated with near by programs, resulting in Roberto attend a few events based around the artist.

Exhibitions, esidencies, Artist talks and Events

His art has been exhibited around the world, including shows in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, China, Singapore, and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Mural Arts Philadelphia Welcome Event, September 1, 202, Mural Arts Philadelphia Community Paint Day, September 2,202, Philadelphia Animal Specialty and Emergency Artist Talk,September 8, 2021, Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies Mural Dedication,September 28, 2012, Philadelphia Animal Specialty and Emergency Let's Make Art Like Roberto Mamani Mamani, September 27,2023 , Santa Clara City Library Artist Talk, September 29,2023, Bryn Mawr college Arts Enrichment-Arte Y Cultura: Contemporary explorations, ''January 22, 2021 - May 21, 2021, Kala Art Institute'' Mother Earth "Pachamama" Colors and the Andean Cosmovision' October 25 - November 9, 2017, Korea Foundation Gallery Permeant collection, Cornell Art Museum

References

''Mamani Mamani Gallery , La Paz, Bolivia , Attractions - Lonely Planet''. (n.d.). Lonely Planet. ''A New Mural by Bolivian Artist Roberto Mamani Mamani Brings the Vibrant and Powerful Energy of the Andes to Philadelphia , Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies''. ''Roberto Mamani Mamani'' ''Roberto Mamani Mamani – South American Street Art Fund''. (n.d.). "Presidente Morales Inaugura Condominio 'Wiphala' En El Alto, La Obra De Vivienda Social Más Grande Del País." ''Viceministerio De Comunicación - Bolivia'' Rule, Doug. "Bright Bolivian Art." ''Metro Weekly'', 12 Feb. 2014, La Paz, U. S. Embassy. "Sustainable Fashion and Fair Trade - U.S. Embassy in Bolivia." ''U.S. Embassy in Bolivia'', 18 Oct. 2021, bo.usembassy.gov/sustainable-fashion-and-fair-trade. Eric Mohl, CPO (Chief Photography Officer). "Roberto Mamani Mamani Murals in El Alto, Bolivia." ''Trans'', 1 Apr. 2021, trans-americas.com/mamani-mamani-murals-bolivia/. Johnson, Jenny Donnelly. "Bolivia's Roberto Mamani Mamani in Residence." ''Mural Arts Philadelphia'', 1 Sept. 2023, ''Santa Clara Public Library , Home Library'', www.sclibrary.org/. ''Department of Spanish Presents A Conversation with Roberto Mamani Mamani''. (n.d.). Bryn Mawr College. ''Arts Enrichment- Arte y Cultura: Contemporary Explorations (Grades K-5) - Kala Art Institute''. (2021, September 5). Kala Art Institute. ''한국국제교류재단 KF''. (n.d.). Paper, P. B. A. (2017, October 14). ''Delray's Cornell Museum gets ready for its new look, reopening''.

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamani Mamani Bolivian painters Bolivian people of Aymara descent Living people Latin American artists of indigenous descent Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century indigenous painters of the Americas 1962 births