Parallels captures a women's wrestling show in El Alto, one of Bolivia's fastest-growing urban centers known for its colorful, symbolic architecture. Using an iconic building as a stage and the spectacle as a narrative device, this work explores the psychological construction of the city, revealing how collective identity and image are forged at the intersection of Aymara indigenous culture, global consumer trends, and traditional Andean aesthetics. Focusing on the audience and the building's interiors over the spectacle, it invites a reflection on identity construction as a dynamic and participatory process, in line with Guy Debord's ideas in In Girum Imus Nocte Et Consumimurm Igni (1978).
This work is part of a broader exploration of the city of El Alto, initiated by the artist in 2011 with Every Building on Avenida Alfonso Ugarte - After Ruscha (2011) and situated in a historical context marked by the profound social changes driven by Evo Morales' presidency, which included significant economic growth and a revitalization of indigenous cultures. However, this period was also characterized by a decline in women's rights and an increase in femicide in the country.
Parallels (2022); Two channel 4k video installation; 5:00 minute excerpt from 25:25 minutes total; color; sound
*The fabric of El Alto has also visually changed in the Morales era as a burgeoning bourgeoisie favors a new Andean architectural style specific to the city of El Alto that brings traditional Andean and Tiwanaku cultures into an urban setting that has served to reinvent a city previously aesthetically monochromatic. *These structures have been called “Cholets,” a term derived from the words chalet [large house] and chola [sometimes a derogatory term for an indigenous woman]. Cholets are now ubiquitous throughout the city thanks to an economic boom that Morales’ government attributes to his macroeconomic policies.