Bolivia's Roberto Mamani Mamani in Residence

The artist, Roberto Mamani Mamani, describes the mural design as a meeting of the worlds between the city of Philadelphia and the Andean cosmovision. “We share the moon and the sun as a duality in balance. At the center, the condor (left) and the eagle (right), both mythological symbols, native to each of the depicted territories (US and Andes). The wings of each bird have the colors of the flags of our countries, the condor, Bolivia, and the eagle, United States.” he explains. “At the center is the Pachamama, Mother-Earth. Energy is flowing from her, and in her belly is an Indigenous man representing our American ancestors. He holds a “scepter,” meaning he guides the community.  On the Andean side — there is the monolith of Viracocha, a deity symbolizing creation. Andean Indigenous culture holds him as a god that keeps the balance between the earthly world and the beyond. On the North American side, there is another totem with a similar symbolism that represents the beliefs of indigenous/native populations,” says Mamani Mamani.

During his residency, there will be several events, including:

Friday, September 1  Mural Arts Philadelphia Welcome Event  |  5:30 pm  |  Mural Arts Philadelphia, 1729 Mt. Vernon Street  | Opportunity to Meet the Artist opportunity artists and see a presentation of his work.

Saturday, September 2  Community Paint Day |  2-4 pm | Philadelphia Animal Specialty and Emergency  |  2100 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19146  |  Community members can help paint the mural with Roberto Mamani Mamani

Friday, September 8  Artist Talk | noon |  Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies / McNeil Building, 2nd Floor Atrium, 3718 Locust Walk 

Thursday, September 28  Mural Dedication  |  6 pm  |  Philadelphia Animal Specialty and Emergency  |  2100 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19146

Roberto will be traveling with his sons, Illampu, Illimani, and Amar, who will serve as interpreters and assistants. They will be here for the month of September. Mural Arts artist Efrain Hererra will be the Assistant Muralist on this project.

Funded by 

This project is funded by Mural Arts Philadelphia and Mellon Foundation Just Futures Initiative grant N-2009-09221 entitled “Dispossessions in the Americas: The Extraction of Bodies, Land, and Heritage from la Conquista to the Present,” administered by the University of Pennsylvania, coordinated by Principal Investigator: Tulia G. Falleti, and with co-principal investigators: Margaret Bruchac, Ricardo Castillo-Neyra, Ann Farnsworth-Alvear, Michael Hanchard, Jonathan D. Katz, Richard M. Leventhal, and Michael Z. Levy.