Title: Salqa Masks of Protection Series
Year: 2021-25
Medium: Mixed-media
Dimensions: 5” x 7” x 4.5” and 9” x 7” x 4.5”

Description: Initially created in the Peruvian Andes during the pandemic, the design and functionality provide personal ornament. As sacred entities for Indigenous peoples, jaguars and pumas provide protection. From ancient times felines have represented the power of being alert, in a conscious state, in permanent vigilance. The strength of their fangs drives danger away. The symbolism inspired by Pre-Columbian culture also calls us to be aware of our natural environment to protect it as a feline defends its sacred territory, honoring our interconnected and interdependent relationships with all living beings in the web of life, promoting community and harmony. The mask wearer embodies the spirit of the entity, changing the way of interacting with the world in a process of transformation as this ritualistic embodiment shifts identity.