Proximity is a subjective experience, as Alessandra Risi moves farther from her home in Peru, she paradoxically feels closer to it. The nuances of a home are not confined to a single place, rather can be traced in our cultural heritage, down to the simple act of wrapping.

Paisaje abrasador, Lliclla (Scorching landscape, Lliclla) is inspired by the hand woven garment worn by Quechua women of the Andes. A material that – like the layered tides of the sea – carries a story with every color, symbol and stitch. In her painting, Risi reflects on the landscapes of home, imagining what it might feel like to be embraced by the majestic Seven Colored Mountain. Like a mother wrapping her child, or woman swaddling food to keep it warm, this work envelopes the mountain with tenderness.

The painting conceals a mountain but reveals the delicate presence of warmth and familiarity. Bringing to the foreground the sensation of an intimate embrace, Risi wraps the mountain in a garment that is both delicate and enduring. In doing so, reminding herself – and us – that if we look closely enough, home can be found everywhere.

Like the Ch’ukay stitch that joins two pieces of fabric to form the Lliclla, this work ties together the duality of Risi’s reality – living far from Peru, yet constantly encountering its echoes. 

- Noor Albar