Image: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University will present ‘Fernando “Huanchaco” Gutiérrez: Checán Stereo,’ an installation by Lima-based Peruvian artist Fernando “Huanchaco” Gutiérrez that reconnects ancient Moche sculptures with the landscapes and cultural histories from which they were removed. The exhibition will be on view from August 28, 2026, through February 7, 2027, in the wing gallery on Floor 2L in Ithaca, New York.
The installation combines reproductions of words in Muchik, an extinct Indigenous language, with a video showing the Peruvian North Coast landscape. According to the museum, the work is intended to force a reconnection between ancient Moche sculptures and their origins, creating an artistic experiment that links past and present.
The Moche sculptures referenced in the installation date from approximately 400 to 850 CE. The museum states that objects removed from their archaeological context have lost not only their original histories, but also meanings and cosmological connections. ‘Checán Stereo’ invites visitors to consider the complexities involved in displaying ancient archaeological objects in a museum setting.
Gutiérrez’s project is presented within the Johnson Museum’s broader collections and exhibition programme. The museum, part of Cornell University, holds more than 40,000 works from around the world and offers free admission. The exhibition was curated by Hugo C. Ikehara-Tsukayama, Harris Family Curator of the Arts of the Americas.
The opening will be accompanied by a public conversation with the artist on Friday, August 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. Gutiérrez will be joined by Paulina Velázquez Solís, a visiting critic in Cornell’s Department of Art, whose practice encompasses installation, sound, sculpture, drawing, animation and video, media performance, and other forms. The discussion will take place in Robinson Lecture Hall on Floor 2L, with the exhibition open to visitors before and after the programme. A public reception will follow, and the event is free and open to all.
‘Checán Stereo’ has been supported in part by the Russell ’77 and Diana Hawkins Exhibition Fund and through cosponsorship from the Consulate General of Peru in New York. The associated conversation is also cosponsored by the consulate and supported in part by gifts from Gale and Ira Drukier and Genevieve and Richard Tucker. The exhibition continues at the Johnson Museum through February 7, 2027.
