Maya Watanabe's 'Liminal' Explores Peru's Disappeared at Casa Encendida

Maya Watanabe's video work 'Liminal' (2019) premiered at La Casa Encendida in Madrid from February 27 to March 31, 2019, coinciding with ARCOmadrid. The Peruvian-born, Netherlands-based video artist won the 2018 Han Nefkens Foundation prize, which supported the creation of this piece. The foundation, promoting video art, chose an artist with ties to Peru, the 2019 guest country at ARCO. 'Liminal' addresses the 70,000 deaths and 16,000 disappearances during Peru's internal conflict (1980-2000) between military forces, Shining Path, and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. Watanabe filmed two exhumations of 1984 massacres, focusing on close-ups of bones and fabric fragments, avoiding graphic depiction. The slow, abstract imagery evokes forensic identification, with insects and cricket sounds reinforcing vanitas themes. The work will later be shown at the Museo de Arte de Lima from August 21 to October 13, 2019. Watanabe, born 1983 in Peru, moved to Madrid 14 years ago and now lives mainly in the Netherlands. She previously exhibited at Palais de Tokyo in 2018.