ErnestoApomaytafrequentlyvisitsothercountriestosharethecultureofhispeople.FINEArtsschoolsinPeru,China,andMexicorecognizethetalentofErnestoApomaytaChambi,whosaidgoodbyetohisnativePunoofPeruin1984tostudytraditionalChinesepaintings,calligraphy,andlearntheChineselanguage.DuringhisyearsattheCentralAcademyofFineArtsinBeijing,hediscoveredadeepconnectionbetweentheoriginalpeoplesofPeruandChina.“WhenIarrivedinBeijing,IfeltthatthepictogramsonthestreetsandthephoneticsofthelanguageweresimilartothoseofmyAymarapeople.”ApomaytaisadescendantoftheQuechuaandAymarapeoplesoftheAndeanregionsofPeru.HisfirstinspirationtolearntodrawcamefromtheimpressiveimagesfromLakeTiticacaandtheIncancitadelofMachuPicchu.“Thecoloredpencilsandthepaperhavebeendrivingmethroughlife,helpingmeexpressmytelluricfeelingthroughmyworksandtonalities.”
AssuredthattheindigenoustraditionsofhisoriginalpeopleofPuno,Acora,adistrictofthePunoProvince,werebornfromthefusionbetweenAsianandWesterncultures,Apomaytasays,“ThelegacyofAsiarunsinmyveins.”Amongthemanyculturalandsocialsimilarities,themusicstandsoutthemost.“Andeanmusiciscomposed,muchlikeChinesemusic,usingthepentatonicscale.ThemetricandthesingingareespeciallysimilartothesouthernAndeanregionsofCuscoandAyacucho.”ThisisvalidatedbytherenownedPeruvianmusicianLuchoQuequezana,who,thankstothesupportofUNESCO,wasabletoprovideauniquemusicalperformancewithinstrumentalistsfromseveralcountries,whichhecalledSonidosvivos.
“BetweentheTibetansofChinaandtheAymarasofPeruandBolivia,therearestrongcoincidencesinthephonetics,inthewaysofdressing,andhowtheymaketheircolorfulgarments,”headds.Apomaytastatesthatnature,atmosphericandcosmicphenomenaoccupyauniquespaceinChineseandAmericanoriginalcultures.“Theearth,thesky,thesun,themoon,thestars,thesea,andtherivers,theclouds,thewindandtherain,donotrepresenttheobjectivereality.Theyare,asshownbytheepithetsthatcharacterizethem,‘brothers’oftheinhabitantsand‘livingbeings’whodeserverespect.”
ForUnityandWorldPeace
FascinatedwithChina,Apomaytadefendsthedeepculturalandsocialconnection,“InthenorthofPeru,thenamesofmanytowns,rivers,andcemeteriesaresimilartoChinesenames,suchasthefamousHuacaCaoarchaeologicalsite,theChaoRiverandthecitiesofBaguaandYupán.”HestatesthatthelearningprocessofMandarin,forthosewhounderstandQuechuaandAymara,withthehelpofChineseteachers,iseasierthanforthosewhoonlyspeakSpanish.“ThephoneticsofthenativelanguagessignificantlyhelpedmemastertheChineselanguage.ManyofthosewordsarepronouncedsimilartoMandarinChinese,albeitwithdifferentmeanings.”
ThisshowsthevalueinhavingChinesestudentswholearnSpanishandotherancestrallanguages,suchasQuechua,andLatinAmericanstudentswhostudyMandarinChinese,carryoutinternationalculturalexchanges“tobetterassimilatethelearningoflanguagesandcultures.”Apomaytaadvisesstudentstopersevereandstrivetoensureasmoothculturalexchange.Hispaintingsexpressthespiritofunityandworldpeace.“OneofmyfirstworkswasonricepapershowingtheunityofthewondersthatareMachuPicchuandtheGreatWall.”
Afterhavinglivedonfourcontinentsandcombininghisartisticworkwithteaching,hefeelssatisfied.InhisnativePeru,hehasworkedasaMandarinChineseteacherattheSouthernPeruvianUniversityofCusco:“Itaughtbasictointermediatelevelstouniversitystudents.”HealsoworkedattheAndeanUniversityofCuscoteachingthesamelevels.AttheAutonomousSuperiorSchoolofFineArtsDiegoQuispeandthePublicSchoolofArtCarlosBacaFlorofArequipa,heworkedasateacheroftraditionalChinesepainting.HealsoworkedasateacherinSaltLakeCity,UtahintheU.S.“Itaughtdrawingandpaintingtheorytochildrentohelpthemdiscoverandexpressnaturaltalentandcreativitythroughvariousmethodsandmaterials.”
ASecondHomeland
ApomaytatravelstoallpartsoftheworldsharinghisAndeanroots.“Afewyearsago,Iwasveryshy,withdrawn,anditwasverydifficultformetospeakinpublic.ButanexcellentChinesementornamedLiKerenmotivatedmetoread,makingmeunderstandthatifmymindwasnourished,IwouldbeabletospeakanddefendmyselforallywhereverIwent.”HisstayinChinahasprovidedhimwithmanyfondmemories.HelikedtheChineselanguagesomuchthathelearnedthemby“writingthecharactersandreadingChinesegrammarinadictionary.”
Currently,hisprofessionalcareerisfocusedonwritingandpainting:“Bothgohandinhand.TheIncassaidthatwritingislikepaintingandpaintingislikewriting,soformeitmakesalotofsense.”HeremembersallhisChineseteacherswithgreataffection,“TheCentralAcademyofFineArtswastrulymysecondhome,aplaceofdreamsthatIrememberfondly,soIamexcitedtotalkaboutthattimeinChina.”
Whatbeganasafriendlyapproachtoorientalart,culminatedinanattractionfortheaestheticsofthatregion.“WhatmostsurprisedmeaboutmostofChinesepaintings,isthemysticalattitudethatisperceivedbehindthemists,mountains,andtheriversofTaoistChineselandscape,”Apomaytasaid.AlongsidehisadvancedpostgraduatestudiesintraditionalChinesepainting,hehasaddedamaster’sdegreeinvisualartsfromtheNationalAutonomousUniversityofMexico.HisunlimitedversatilitymakeshimanauthorityonChinesepictorialartinhiscountry.
Countlessawardsandrecognitionsdistinguishhiswork.In2000,theNationalInstituteofCultureofPerurecognizedhimasanOutstandingProfessionalPainter.ThemayorofthecityofSantaAna,California,awardedhimforhisperformanceinthecreativityandinnovationofthevisualarts.In1987,CCTV(ChinaCenralTelevision)heldaChineselanguagecontestandApomaytatooksecondplaceamong350foreignersfromaroundtheworld.
HehasheldsoloexhibitionsintheU.S.,Canada,China,Peru,andMexico.“IhadtheopportunitytobeinChina,whichIconsidermysecondhomeland,inthemiddleofthe2008OlympicGames,andImovedtoShanghaiwhereIlivedforalongtime.”OnoneoccasionhevisitedSuzhou,theso-called“VeniceoftheEast,”“whichnotonlydazzledmebutalsoinspiredmetoreproduceitscharminglandscapesonpaperandcanvas.”
Chinaisaconstantinhislifeandinhisart.“IhopetoreturntoBeijingtopaintagreatmuralthatreflectsthelastingfriendshipofthepeoplesofPeruandChina.”Andthatgreatmuralwillunitetwohistoricalmonumentsandwondersofthemodernworld:theGreatWallandMachuPicchu.C