Karina Aguilera Skvirsky at the Cuenca Biennial Ecuador

Within the context of the XV Cuenca Biennial (Ecuador) Biocene Biennial: Changing Green for Blue, Karina Aguilera Skvirsky is presenting the multichannel installation How to build a wall and other ruins at the Escuela Central in Cuenca, Ecuador.

The biennial, curated by Blanca de la Torre will be on view through February 28, 2022.

The artist proposes a work of grapevine fiction - a genre that navigates between reality and fiction - around the Inca engineering and architectural achievements of Ingapirca, Ecuador. Skvirsky reimagines a labor force composed mainly of women and constructs an expanded history in which she materializes "expert" theories; thus, she brings to the table what pre-Columbian technology can contribute today and what it means to foreground indigenous knowledge.

In the video installation, engineers, anthropologists, historians and youtubers are interviewed about their theories on how the Inkas built the walls of Ingapirca. Using a YouTube instructional video structure, the artist overlays theories around the techniques of their construction, explores the legacy of indigenous wisdom in the communities, and proposes fantastical gender roles in history.