To celebrate the long-standing relationship between Thailand and Peru, as well as to present its iconic ceramic bull, the Embassy of Peru in collaboration with Siam Piwat is organising the art exhibition "Torito De Pucará: Ambassador Of The Peruvian Highlands" at Siam Discovery Exploratorium.
Assoc Prof Sukumarl Sarakasetrin. (Photos courtesy of JEEPZMK2)
The exhibition is a cultural promotion initiative led by Peru's foreign ministry in collaboration with several local organisations. The project aims to showcase the rich heritage of the Peruvian Highlands through a collection of ceramic bull artworks.
Torito de Pucará, or the Little Bull of Pucara, is a revered type of ceramic sculpture originating from the city of Cheka Pupuja in the Azángaro province of the Puno Region. Adorned with intricate hand-painted patterns and vibrant flowers, this ceramic sculpture in the shape of a bull carries a symbolic meaning of protection, ensuring the well-being of the family and safeguarding the herds. This cultural treasure can be found in various southern cities of Peru such as Cusco, Puno and Ayacucho.
Creating a Torito de Pucará involves several steps that require the utmost skill and dedication. After shaping the bull, the artist must add intricate details. Then, the sculpture is left to dry completely before being placed into a kiln. Afterwards, the surface is painted and coated, and the painted sculpture undergoes a final firing in the kiln.
According to the exhibition, each colour has distinct symbolism. While blue symbolises health and happiness, red represents protection and love. Black and purple are associated with nobility, wisdom, creativity and spirituality. White signifies peace and protection, and green and yellow represent abundance and prosperity.
Designer and illustrator Spun Inthawong.
The exhibition at Siam Discovery showcases a collection of 20 Torito de Pucarás crafted by talented Peruvian artists. Additionally, two Thai artists -- Spun Inthawong and Assoc Prof Sukumarl Sarakasetrin -- were invited to design their own ceramic bulls to display at the exhibition.
Spun designed and painted on plain brown ceramic bulls brought in from Peru. Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Sukumarl, who is both a ceramist and a lecturer at the Department of Creative Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chulalongkorn University, moulded and fired her own ceramic bulls for painting and decorating.
Before working on the project, Spun admitted that she did not know much about Peru, except for a few well-known tourist attractions like Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain as well as delicious Peruvian fruits like blueberries. However, when the illustrator began researching Peru, she became captivated and wanted to explore its art and culture. Her inspiration for her Little Bull of Pucara, which is entitled In To The Rainbow, came from the vibrant colours and patterns of Quechua weaving culture.
"I studied fashion design, so I have an interest in fabrics. Quechua textiles have vivid colours, intriguing textures and unique graphic patterns that blend modern and traditional elements. It is unlike anything I have seen before," said Spun.
"In To the Rainbow was created from my imagination, envisioning Toritos dressed in colourful Quechua garments to celebrate the relationship between Thailand and Peru. I also added flowers to the sculptures to incorporate a natural element. In my perspective, flowers symbolise abundance."
With extensive experience in ceramics, Assoc Prof Sukumarl has showcased her work in many countries and had opportunities to view Peruvian ceramic art at various museums in Europe.
"Peru is a country with a rich culture. I am particularly fond of Peruvian ceramics because they are unique and difficult to create. Some of the pieces I saw in European museums were incredibly old, dating back 5,000 years. Among them were stirrup spout vessels from the Moche culture which are water jugs created in various forms such as human heads and animal shapes. These pottery vessels exhibited earth-tone colours, distinct from the vibrant hues of Torito de Pucará."
For the exhibition, the ceramist created sculptures entitled The Guardians which feature three ceramic bulls and accompanying footprint sculptures. Assoc Prof Sukumarl explained that the inspiration behind The Guardians came from merging the concept of Torito de Pucará with the sacred oxen of Thailand's Royal Ploughing Ceremony.
"I worked on The Guardians during the Royal Ploughing Ceremony. While Thailand's sacred oxen are associated with abundance and prosperity, Torito de Pucará symbolise protection and prosperity. Hence, I merged the ideas of Torito de Pucará and Thailand's sacred oxen.
"The Torito de Pucará is characterised by its tongue sticking out touching its nose and forward-facing eyes. However, the bulls in The Guardians display strength, gentleness and faithfulness. Instead of directly painting on the bull sculptures, I employed a lace ceramic technique, placing lace on the clay bulls and firing them at a temperature of 1,230C. Subsequently, underglaze colours were applied to the lace patterns," explained Assoc Prof Sukumarl .
During her search for information about Torito de Pucará, Assoc Prof Sukumarl discovered that a pair of Torito de Pucará typically adorn rooftops and at entrances of homes. Initially, she created a pair of ceramic bulls to reflect this tradition, but upon completing the pair, she enjoyed creating more. She then crafted a turquoise calf and a set of tiny footprint sculptures.
"Since I am fond of Peruvian ceramic art, I was happy to work on this project but did not expect to receive positive feedback. Followers on my Facebook commented that The Guardians were strong but adorable. Many visitors expressed that they liked the footprint sculptures and asked about the idea behind them. The footprint sculpture represents a fourth calf which is a companion to the third calf, but it is away at training to become a greater Torito," said Assoc Prof Sukumarl.
Below In To The Rainbow by Spun Inthawong.
Despite being an experienced ceramist, she found this project to be challenging.
"As I had never created a bull ceramic sculpture before, the project was challenging. I learned that Torito de Pucará has certain specifications and details such as forward-facing eyes and a handle with a hole on its back. However, the Peru embassy granted me the freedom to interpret Torito de Pucará in my own artistic style. Thus, the largest purple bull is the only sculpture with a hole. The dark blue bull features a butterfly-shaped handle and the turquoise bull showcases a butterfly on its head," she explained.
Both Thai artists were proud to be part of "Torito De Pucará: Ambassador Of The Peruvian Highlands". The exhibition actually inspired Spun to consider visiting Peru in the future.
"I was honoured to be part of this exhibition, as it was the first time that I truly felt that art has the power to strengthen the relationship between two countries. The exhibition encouraged me to become interested in Peru and ignited a desire to visit. As a graduate from London, my travels have mostly been focused on Europe. This exhibition has opened my eyes to view another side of Peru which offers a lot to be explored."
"Torito De Pucará: Ambassador Of The Peruvian Highlands" runs at Siam Discovery Exploratorium until Sunday. For more information, visit facebook.com/siamdiscovery.
Free workshop
Alongside the exhibition, visitors can also engage in a free workshop to paint and take home their very own little Torito bull made of stucco. The workshop is scheduled to take place on Saturday. Two rounds are available, from 3-4pm and 4-5pm for a limited number of 50 participants per round.
The Torito de Pucará is characterised by its tongue sticking out touching the nose and its forward-facing eyes.
A workshop is scheduled to take place this Saturday.
