Alicia Ehni

Paracas the Wind, 2019, 3 minutes video

I make two mirrored identical sculptures out of stone and place them opposing each other to activate the space in between. I’m interested in the energy that flows between these two objects. Stone is a still and definitive material and by creating two identical but opposing carvings, I’ve created a dialog.

My choice of material comes from growing up in Peru admiring Pre-Colombian art and architecture. I put a contemporary spin on the material by using power tools, technology as well as by hand.

This series started with an invitation from the ICPNA de Miraflores in Lima, Peru in 2014. After not living there for 13 years I visited the mountains of Peru and searched for maps wondering if the changes I saw were visible at a larger scale. I'm interested in the invisible force that attracts an immigrant to it's native land, even if it's no longer recognizable.

Aereal photographs on the left side and magnetic sheet on the right side. Drawing with iron dust an ever changing landscape, following my attraction to the land I rediscover Pre-columbian shapes.

For Illuminated Fragments I use aerial photographs from the 90’s taken by Peruvian Air Force photographers. These series of recorded “flying routes” were commissioned by mine owners and developers.

I use these photographs as a starting point, to address my attraction to the land, the passing of time and the fragility of the territory. I create an inverted parallel reality, a mirrored landscape that I draw with iron dust on a magnetic sheet. Peruvian extracting industries are constantly erasing complete mountains from the map. Mountains that have stood for millions of years can be now as fragile as drawings done in iron filings.

Geometric shapes and hidden codes on Pre-Columbian textiles are the starting point for this series. Structures and patterns are broken to create new relationships and meaning, merging past and present.

These sculptures made of foam board and recycled material create new hybrid objects that reflect on the complicated nature of immigrant identity.

The series of alabaster sculptures titled Panamerican Highway make reference to specific Kilometers in the longest motorway in the world. 

Thinking about the dramatic changes in the landscape and the idea of measuring the distance to and from a point - I “position myself” in this route.  When I was growing up there were stones on the side of the road with the kilometer numbers painted by hand on the stones, they marked the distance from the capital.  I liked the combination of specific information and the varying, random rocks.

Turning Stones a series of Italian marble sculptures that begun in 2011, all share the form of a circle or partial circle motif. They are often dialogues of flatness and depth. The circles are not perfect, yet they can read as complete. I consider them all part of a cycle or system, like in the phases of the moon — seeing only part of the moon does not mean it’s not whole. 

Alicia Ehni - “Mapping Stone”, curated by Patterson Sims, at Frederico Seve Gallery, NY from October 17th to November 30th, 2013.    Inspired by architecture as well as the Peruvian landscape, in particular the Panamerican Highway, the Andes Mountains and the deserts around Paracas.  This exhibition comprised marble, alabaster and resin sculptures, next to drawings that illustrated creative process. 

Superstitions and cultural references, lemon and ceramics are used to reflect on the idea of balance and harmony.

Once a Peruvian healer told me to carry a lemon on my purse.

Untitled, Tracing Lines Merging Time, 2019, collages, plexiglass and hardware.