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Alejandro Osores Cipriano

Alejandro Osores Cipriano was born in Huancayo in 1949. He is an engraver of the mate gourd, using as his only tool the burin (a special graving tool). This exquisite art of intricate detail is what characterizes the work of his Andean village of only four hundred inhabitants, but with an ancestral inheritance of engraved mate gourd. On the surface of the plant the truth and legend of the Andean people is recorded in designs replete with skill, ingenuity, and lyricism.

"The art of engraving mate gourds is the direct inheritance of my parents and grandparents and also the tradition of my village. My work recognizes the traditions and customs and even the rich Andean imagery - this work I have been doing for more than thirty years. My motivation is to recuperate our ancient customs and continue to value them. I work with my family and together with them we propose to transmit our customs as being part of the culture of our country.

"The raw material of my art is the gourd and my only tool is the burin. The gourd is grown in the northern part of Peru where we must go to obtain it, selecting the best pieces that, for their form and size, will most adequately capture our designs. After extracting the seeds from the gourd we proceed to sun-dry it. Then its surface is burned to give it a highland aspect. Next comes the engraving, carving figures with their respective legends that adapt to the size of the gourd; the whole process is done by hand.

"We have been in many exhibitions both at the local and international levels, especially in the National Museum. We have also participated in contests, one of which was organized by Novica Peru in which we received an honorable mention. Also we assisted the Grand Exhibition sponsored by the United States in which ninety countries participated. My goal is the continuous progress of my family and to continue cultivating the art of our land so that the clients of Novica know and understand Peru through the work of our hands."

Engraved gourd work is perhaps the simplest manifestation of Peruvian handicrafts. To understand what is a pedida de novia (a custom where the fiancé asks the family's permission to allow their daughter to be his wife) or pacto de amor (a vow of love) according to Andean customs, all you have to do is look at these beautifully engraved plants skillfully rendering the heart of the Andean highlands.