Living in Peru : your everyday companion

The 3rd Universidad Científica del Sur (UCSUR) Festival of International Theater, "Por la Diversidad Cultural" (For Cultural Diversity), will take place the week of April 20 - 26 at theaters around the city. Countries participating in the festival include: Spain, Lithuania, Italy, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

Today's plays, "The Shoes" and "Soy Feliz" are written and directed by Cristina Merelli. "The Shoes" tells the story of Alberta who tries to fight against postmodern tendencies and global commerce in order to start her own shoe factory, which will hold traditional values in fabrication and customer service. "Soy Feliz" is about Zulma, a women who tries to do everything society says will make her happy: materials, money, etc. She finds out these things don't lead her to happiness...

When: April 22, Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Where: Sala Alzedo - Jr. Huancavelica 251, Lima
Free Admission
For more information visit: ucsur.edu.pe

The 3rd Universidad Científica del Sur (UCSUR) Festival of International Theater, "Por la Diversidad Cultural" (For Cultural Diversity), will take place the week of April 20 - 26 at theaters around the city. Countries participating in the festival include: Spain, Lithuania, Italy, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

Today's play, "Cicatrices en la Memoria", is brought to you by the theater group Chaupimayo, who are based in Huancavelica. Director Alder Yauricasa Verástegui brings the story of Juana: a women affected by political violence, who is in search of her family and goes through many obstacles to do so.

When: April 22, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
Where: Sala Alzedo - Jr. Huancavelica 251, Lima
Free Admission
For more information visit: ucsur.edu.pe

The Sociedad Filamónica de Lima inaugurates their latest season with the help of the Accademia Daniel de Israel, a group founded and composed of Israeli musicians who are specialized in playing barroque music. The group is lead by Shalev Ad-El, a soloist harpsichordist, and will be performing pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach.

When: Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Auditorio Santa Ursula - Santo Toribio #150, San Isidro
For more information call: 242-6396, 445-7395

The Patronato Plata del Perú proudly presents the opening of the Salón de la Platería Peruana en Surco (Hall of Peruvian Silver in Surco). The objective of this institution is to increase the use of silver in Peru and spread the work done by Peruvian silver artists and artisans. The hall features a selection 36 beautiful pieces of contemporary silver, which have traveled the world in other exhibitions held in Argentina, China, Finland and Spain, to name a few.

When: April 17 - July 15
Where: Parque de la Amistad - Av. Caminos del Inca, Surco
For more information visit: patronatoplatadelperu.org

The Sala de Arte Felipe Cossío del Pomar in San Isidro will host the exhibition "Nueve Visiones" (Nine Visions), which will feature pieces by nine Peruvian artists. Those who will have works displayed are: Elke McDonald, Patricia Orbegoso, Mariana Riveros, Ana Teresa Barbosa, José Gómez, Hernán Sosa, Joseph Firbas, Jhonny Morote and Fernando Guembes. This collection is part of an international-exchange the artists have coordinated with art galleries in Texas, U.S.

When: April 16 - May 3, Tuesday to Saturday, 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Where: Sala de Arte Felipe Cossío del Pomar - Calle La República 455, El Olivar de San Isidro
Free Admission

Plastic artist Orlando Izquierdo, also known as "El Tigrillo", will present his latest exhibit at the Centro Cultural de San Marcos. The exhibition, "Homenaje a César Vallejo por los 75 años de su muerte", is a tribute to the renowned Peruvian poet César Vallejo. Izquierdo, a native of Moyobamba, presents 50 paintings which represent scenes in Vallejo's life.

When: April 16 - May 15, Monday to Saturday: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Where: Centro Cultural de San Marcos – Av. Nicolás de Piérola 1222, Parque Universitario, Lima
Free Admission

Artist Denise Mulanovich brings her latest exhibition, "Pintura" to the Galeria Forum in Miraflores this month. Mirko Lauer describes the pieces featured in this display as "an expression of the happiness of living in shadows... texture which now functions as more than a witness to human drama than a neutral background."

When: Until April 28
Where: Av. Larco 1150, Miraflores
For more information visit: galeriaforum.net

Peruvian painter Oswaldo Higuchi, who has had many individual exhibitions in Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Japan and Canada--brings his latest display to the Centro Cultural Peruano Japonés. Higuchi: "To be an immigrant is to be free, is to see new horizons, is to move with the wind, to confront the unknown... it is to live."

This exhibition, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, proposes a rapprochement of the different problems related with sustainable development. More than an exhibition of beautiful images, it's the state of places in our world, with pedagogical elements to help us understand and preserve earth. "La Tierra Vista desde el Cielo" features 120 aerial photographs which represent a balance of the planet during the beginning of the new millennium.

When: April 16 - June 15
Where: Paseo de los Pintores (Iglesia Virgen Milagrosa) - Miraflores
Free Admission

“Mona a la medida” is an exhibition by plastic artist Hernán Sosa. For this display, Sosa took as his inspiration the famous "La Gioconda" painting by Leonardo Da Vinci during the Renaissance period. Also known as the "Mona Lisa", the painting is known for its mysteries, such as: who was model, the ambiguity on her face, the landscape in the background, and ultimately, the technique used in creating the piece. With "Mona a la Medida" Sosa delves into those mysteries.

When: April 10 - May 3, Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Yvonne Sanguineti arte & diseño - Av. Grau 810, Barranco
For more information call: 247-2999

After 15 years, the public will once again be able to see this collection of Italian engravings at the Museo de Arte Italiano. The exhibition features pieces from the most prominent representatives in this field from the years 1905 until 2003. In 1991, the museum made the decision to store the fragile pieces for fear of light, humidity and acidic materials ruining the engravings. They've decided to bring them out again for one month only.

When: April 4 - 26, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Where: Museo de Arte Italiano - Paseo de la República 250, Lima

The Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI) presents "Never Endings": an exhibition by contemporary artist Cornelia Parker of Cheshire, England. The display features close to 30 pieces in formats such as photography, video, sculpture and installations. "Never Endings" deals with "the study of objects and phenomenons that are out of reach of human control." Parker takes everyday objects and transforms them into extraordinary products in this exhibition.

When: April 10 - May 27, Thursday - Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Museo de Arte de Lima - Paseo Colón 125, Parque de la Exposición, Lima
Cost: Residents - S/.6, non-residents: S/.12, students - S/.5, Sundays - S/.1
For more information visit: museodearte.org.pe

Ivana Ferrer presents her third individual exhibition, "Territorios" (territories), at the Galería Lucía de la Puente. This time, "Ivana takes food images as pretext and presents them as a series of maps that show the process of drawing which results in a painting. The artist uses the term "territorio" not only as the physical place a person owns, but also personal space, such as ideas, emotions, etc; a world that is intangible."

When: April 10 - May 3, Monday - Friday: 10:30 am - 8 pm, Saturdays: 11 am - 8 pm
Where: Galeria Lucia de la Puente - Paseo Sáenz Peña 206 A, Barranco
For more information visit: gluciadelapuente.com

After five years, Clo de la Puente presents her 13th individual exhibition titled "De bajo de la piel" (Under the skin). The show features paintings and drawings, based on long sessions with models. This exhibition shows de la Puente's true intention in terms of the two mediums she utilizes to display "that other skin we have which we keep to ourselves."

When: April 10 - May 3, Monday - Friday: 10:30 am - 8 pm, Saturdays: 11 am - 8 pm
Where: Galeria Lucia de la Puente - Paseo Sáenz Peña 206 A, Barranco
For more information: gluciadelapuente.com

Lima, like other contemporary cities, finds itself in a constant state of change. The fragmented city, with its accelerated growth and disorder, its growing demographic (almost 9 million residents), its distinct landscapes, its constant transformation and its history, is the basis of the exhibition "Cuidad Muerta" (Dead City). The collective show features the works of artists José Ignacio Lora Iturburu, Miguel Ángel Alfaro, Rolando Sánchez Ponce, Albert García Gonzáles and Diana Trigueros Cisneros.

When: March 28 - April 22, Monday - Sunday, 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Galería L'Imaginaire - Av. Arequipa 4595, Miraflores
Free Admission

What Lorena Pestana--architect by profession, designer by vocation--presents in this small exhibit, represents her vision and experience in art, contemporary design, as well as iconography and traditional techniques. Her creative adventures in jewelry-making began in the community of Alto Marañón and from their she continued her explorations which ultimately led to this exhibition, "Tejidos y Fulgores".

When: April 18 - May 5, Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Where: Galería Índigo - Av. El Bosque 260 - San Isidro
Free Admission

The Municipality of Lima, in co-production with the Mexican Embassy, has the privilege to present "Diego y Frida, una sonrisa a mitad del camino". The photography exhibit displays the matrimonial union of the two most recognized Mexican painters of the XX century, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Pieces by artists Guillermo Kahlo, Peter Jules, Guillermo Zamora and Juan Guzmán are featured, as well photographs by friends Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Nicholas Murria and Eduard Weston.

When: April 4 - 27, Monday and Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.; Wednesday - Sunday: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., 2 p.m.- 8 p.m.
Where: Galeria Pancho Fierro - Pasaje Santa Rosa 114, Plaza de Armas, Lima
Free Admission

Giusseppe Mendiola presents his exhibit "Urbe" at the Galería Carré d’art. His works "aren't unknown visions and much less the perspective of someone who knows Lima only through nights as a bartender of this marvelous city, but instead it's a look of someone who has lived his ups and downs, his culture..."

When: April 3 - April 25, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Galería Carré d’art - Javier Prado Este 5595, La Molina
Free Admission

The Galería Enlace Arte Contemporáneo presents, "Si no existe el más alla, la injusticia del pobre se prolonga enternamente" a photography exhibition by the MR group. The group, formed by Peruvian photographer Marina García Burgos, presents 16 color photographs that touch on themes of social injustice and racism in this country. The group "placed the victim of racism in the 'exclusive' space reserved for the racist."

When: April 4 - May 3, Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Galería Enlace Arte Contemporáneo - Avenida Pardo y Aliaga 676, San Isidro
Free Admission

"Dos x Uno" (Two times One) is a fun show where certain things are questioned: your style, if you can buy happiness, if happiness comes in the form of a trip to miami or from yoga excercises. Jockey Plaza or the Dalai Lama, you decide. The production is directed by Rocio Tovar.

When: Everyday except Wednesday, until May 18, 8 p.m.
Where: Teatro Peruano Japones - Av. Gregorio Escobedo 803, Jesús María
Tickets available at Teleticket.com