Kukuli Velarde received her BFA from Hunter College in 1992. She was born and raised in Lima, Peru and emigrated to the US as an adult. Kukuli Velarde's work consists of ceramic figures reminiscent of pre-Columbian terracotta figurines from her native Peru. These figurines are recast to address a diversity of contemporary subjects, from post-colonial identity and gender relations to personal introspection. Velarde's sculptures often explore the differences between idealism and the reality of social and personal situations.Kukuli Velarde has received honors such as the 2003 PEW Fellowship, the 2003 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Grant, and the 2000 Anonymous is a Woman Award, among others. She has exhibited at John Michael Kohler Arts Center. Sheboygan, WI, The International Biennial of Lima, Peru, The Museum fur Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY, Chicago Athenaeum, Chicago, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, NY and Palais de Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
