Purple Bolivian Tapestry by Arte Indega ASUR

Description

This exquisite narrow purple tapestry from Bolivia beautifully represents the artistry of Andean weaving traditions. Handwoven on a traditional loom, it features geometric and symbolic motifs in tones of black, white, green, and red, bordered by a rich purple textile and mounted on wooden dowel rods for display. Created by Arte Indega ASUR (Antropólogos del Sur Andino), an organization founded by Gabriel Martínez and Verónica Cereceda, this work reflects their decades-long collaboration with indigenous weavers near Sucre, Bolivia. ASUR began in the 1980s by helping revive the Jalq’a weaving tradition, which had nearly vanished, using old photographs as references to restore its symbolic red-and-black cosmology motifs. In the 1990s, ASUR extended its work to support the Tarabuco weavers, whose distinct style features the stylized human and animal figures seen in this tapestry. Dimensions are 46.5” long by 20” wide