Casa de la Cultura Tupac Inca Yupanqui


Contemporary Peruvian Art and Cultural Center


The Casa de la Cultura Tupac Inca Yupanqui in Cusco Peru is a contempory art and cultural center acknowledging the Inca past while emphasizing contemporary art and culture of Peru. It is located at 159 Q’hapchikijllu (previously 265 Calle Arequipa) just 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas in Cusco... almost in the center of town and part of the monumental district. The cultural center is part of our house which besides the cultural center and our apartment includes the art gallery Fractal Dragon and Two Nations Restaurant, and a few stores selling art or fine artisanal products compatible with the concept of a cultural center.

TupacIncaYupanquiFlatTrans
Blogging on the Cultural Center. The mission of the cultural center is to promote contemporary art and culture of Cusco (and the rest of Peru and South America in that order). We host workshops, presentations and exhibitions in the plastic/visual and performing arts in our exhibition halls and smaller workshop spaces. Members of the Cusco community and visitors to Cusco interact with the contemporary the art and culture in Cusco and with the various artists and performers resident or visiting Cusco. With our emphasis on ‘contemporary’ you won’t see copies or re-enactments of colonial or pre-Columbian dances, music, or art, but you may see the fusion of contemporary art with our colonial and pre-Columbian inheritance. The Blog maintains the history of cultural events in the center.


IMG_3509
Galería de Arte Fractal Dragon. The Fractal Dragon Art Gallery (in depth) presents contemporary Peruvian art... paintings, ceramics and sculpture for viewing and for sale. The gallery currently comprises three rooms in the first floor of the house, and two large galleries, an office and gallery store on the 2nd floor of the house. The director of the gallery is Elena Mendoza who also serves as director of the Cultural Center.


Here are the stores and restaurants which share the house with the cultural center, gallery and our apartment.

IMG_3939
Maxima del Hoyo. In the principal entrance of the house, we encounter Maximo del Hoyo which offers fine hand made chocolates made by Giselle Romainville and exclusive designer jewelry designed by the painter Mariana Del Hoyo de Romainville.


Two Nations Restaurant is opening soon

(just in time for the New Year). It's too early to put up pictures of the restaurant since it is not yet open and functioning. It will have 3 dining areas: the bakery/cafe with direct access to the street, the patio/beer garden, and the more refined dining room with seating for more 30 persons. In addition there is a separate TV/Movie/Sports viewing/snack/bar area. The menu offers both a rich variety of Peruvian and Occidental (Australian, American, European) fare and full service bar.



Casa Tupac Yupanqui in pictures. Our physical 'house' has a title dating back to 1732 with the house perhaps constructed even earlier. It is located on the city block which made up the imperial palace of the Inka Tupac Yupanqui in pre-Columbian times. The architecture is a mix of colonial and republican. The house is two story adobe construction with walls one meter thick, roofs of antique ceramic tiles and a modest patio surrounded by the four wings of the house. The spacious galleries on the 2nd floor are shared between the art gallery and cultural center. The patio is shared by all members of our community. We also maintain part of the 2nd floor as our apartment.

It is a difficult task fixing up an antiquity while maintaining architectural and cultural integrity within some kind of reasonable budget during a world-wide economic crisis. We’ve almost finished work on the antique part of house and had an official opening with invitees from many of the venues in Cusco on September 1. Our apartment is not really finished, so we walk between our apartment and the bathroom and kitchenette that are now part of the 2nd floor art gallery and cultural center.

If you wish to learn more about the house, please email the coordinator of Casa Tupac Yupanqui.