Yawar Fiesta

The “Yawar Fiesta” is an annual festival and bloody ritual performed by the Inca for centuries in the desolate Peruvian villages in the Andes. In a subtle, controversial manner, it symbolises the vendetta against the Spanish conquerors. The work communicates this cruel ritual in a series of illustrations, mediating its drama and intensity: a wild condor is caught and given alcohol to make it drunk; in a kind of bullfight, it is then tied to the back of a bull and, in its efforts to free itself, the condor fights with the bull. The highly expressive appeal of the illustrations unfolds on double-pages, in A3 oversize book format. Showing mainly close-ups of the condor or the Indians further enhances the desired effect of dramatic intensity. The background to this bloody fight is provided briefly in the lower margin of the page. However, the illustrations are visually predominant. They build up an enormous tension, unfold-ing over 88 pages, and, at the same time, evoke a socio-critical approach with this controversial matter. Statement by the jury »On the one hand this work impresses by its consistently aesthetic visualisation of a fascinating story and on the other hand by the way it uses the materials. Its heavy paper and pastose painting style underline the strong expressive appeal of the illustrations by lending them an almost tactile quality.«