18 May 18 – 25 November 2018

Cecilia Vicuna’s installation in the Great Hall of Brooklyn Museum, her Disappeared Quipu, re-imagines the Andean tradition of the quipu, the complex record-keeping system made of knotted cords.

Disappeared Quipu pairs ancient quipus from the Museum’s collection with a newly commissioned installation by Vicuña in the Great Hall that combines monumental strands of knotted wool with a four-channel video projection. On view in the adjacent gallery are thirteen ancient Andean textiles selected by Vicuña from the collection and featured in her video projection. These quipus of the past and present “explore the nature of language and memory, the resilience of native people in the face of colonial repression, and Vicuña’s own experiences living in exile from her native Chile.”