‘Relic of Llamabamba’ is a captivating ceramic project crafted in the heart of the Sacred Valley, Peru, during my residency with Arquetopia. It features 24 ceramic sculptures of different sizes, creating a map of a mystical land. These include a black conopa, a red conopa, an Andean music vessel, a llama mask, an Inca Cross, a Christian cross, three keros with differently coloured llamas, a suri alpaca whistle, a llama whistle, a llama-head vessel, a huacatay-inspired wall piece, a piece with a dotted llama and human handprints, a rustic llama vessel, a fossil imprint of a human-and-llama footprint, a llama skull fossil, a shrine to Uruchillay (the llama god), a fox whistle, a llama against a ‘Twin Peaks’-style background, a key, a frog vessel, a witch leading a llama through the mountains, a saywa, and a llama boat painted with Inca constellations.

The map, marked with symbols representing the sculptures, acts as a museum-style guide to the fictional origins of these artefacts. While fictional, the project draws inspiration from Urubamba in the Sacred Valley. Each artefact reflects the artist's experiences in the town, influenced by its rich history and actual Andean artefacts. The name “Llamabamba”, meaning “A Flat Land of Llama”, adds a surreal twist, as llamas don’t live on flat lands and no such place exists. As part of the artist's PhD on the cultural images of South American camelids, “Relic of Llamabamba” prompts reflection on how human history has shaped these sacred creatures.