MARILU TEJERO
ART STATEMENT

Displacement by immigration to Australia and the strong urge to establish one's own cultural identity constitute the main themes I explore through my work.
A long journey which started by tapping into my earliest memories, childhood influences and specially, the environment where I was born.  The tremendous wealth of the Tiawanaku culture with its monuments and temples, the cult of the Jaguar and Condor and the abstractionism of their artists everywhere around the Titicaca lake.  All these aspects were carefully researched and became the basis for my work.
To achieve the feeling of archeological qualities I aspired in my work, I invented a culture called Pimachi.
My sculptured vessels are based on a ceremonial vessel called "Kero".  Inverted, stylized and embellished with additions to represent the various layers of the Pimachi Culture.
Lately, after visiting Bolivia and discovering new ceramics in the Titicaca Lake islands, I started carving designs on porcelain Keros.
After so many years I find I'm closing the circle. My designs were born from memories and out of nostalgia for a far away country. Now  I'm closer than ever to my roots and contributing to my culture with fresh and unusual designs.