A stunning exhibition of women’s art on view in La Paz, Bolivia
Eric A. Gordon / People's World
LA PAZ, Bolivia — On a recent mission to Bolivia organized by the Alliance for Global Justice, I scheduled a couple of free days before our group activities began—to acclimate myself to the elevated Andean atmosphere. Our hotel was just a couple of blocks away from the main central plaza of the city, surrounded by government buildings, where Bolivians of all classes come to stroll, people-watch, purchase snacks, amuse the children and feed the pigeons. On a nearby corner sits the lovely National Museum of Art, housed in what was once the mansion of a colonial Spanish grandee. I made time to visit it, and what a journey of discovery it was!
The museum is the main repository for Bolivia’s artistic heritage, with many paintings and artifacts from the pre-Columbian, the colonial period, and the time (200 years in 2025) of Bolivia’s national independence.
The principal exhibition on view now featured a historical retrospective of women’s art—painting mostly, some sculpture—in Bolivia, as well as galleries filled with contemporary women artists responding to current issues and demands.
Andean religion and mythology naturally have a modern overlay of Christian—Catholic—beliefs and imagery. But underlying it is a still extremely strong consciousness of the source of all life in Pachamama, a personalized interpretation of the concept of Mother Earth, emphasizing woman and her inseparable connection to the land, to the cycle of life, death, and regeneration.
In Pachamama resides the complete unity of origins and time. Fertility and nurturance emanate from Pachamama, who is a palpable inheritance of all the many Indigenous rural nations that populate Bolivia. Her presence can be seen in the design of textiles that are crafted with mathematical precision and in a strict unity of being and making. Artists, both academically trained and self-educated, or in many cases the inheritors of millennia-old traditional arts, all moved by the wisdom and handiwork of their ancestors, have created in their turn works that reflect their sense of wonder and love for the earth and for life.
It is no surprise that in the national campaign to save Bolivia from ecological destruction at the hands of global corporations—in agriculture, mining, cattle, for example—they call on Pachamama as the unifying spirit of the land. The struggle of women for recognition of their rights and the exercise thereof is central to the continuity of healthy life. Some of the statements and slogans associated with the modern women’s movement emerge out of the basic impulse to preserve the life-giving force.
“We don’t care if it’s beautiful or pretty. Our task is to be political and disable and denounce the injustices.”
“Strike a blow against debt. We have no other option than to put ourselves in debt in order to live.”
“Working women don’t have time to visit museums because they’re trying to survive capitalism.”
“To think otherwise is no crime.”
“Be thankful we’re asking for justice and not revenge.”
An essay by D. Jackeline Rojas Heredia on “Creative women artists of Bolivia: Dismantling the process” can be read (in Spanish) here. Readers can also explore the Museo Nacional de Arte website.
Pachamama in ceramic | Eric A. Gordon/People’s World
“Strike a blow against debt. We have no other option than to put ourselves in debt in order to live.” | Eric A. Gordon/People’s World
Judgment: “Can you tolerate a little more?” a question posed by a woman judge to an 11-year-old girl, pregnant after being raped, with intent to dissuade her from the idea of getting an abortion as permitted by law. | Eric A. Gordon/People’s World
Fabiola Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, oil on canvas, 2022: “So, no one lives a pure life, sick amongst the sickly.” | Eric A. Gordon/People’s World
Luz Eliana Avendaño Villalba (Cochabamba), oil on canvas, 2010: “Blessed be the fruit of your womb.” | Eric A. Gordon/People’s World
The struggle for women’s rights: Three generations in this installation: grandmothers, mothers and daughters. | Eric A. Gordon/People’s World
Morah Beltrán (La Paz), ‘The Matrons,’ oil on canvas, 1970.
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Eric A. Gordon
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