# Grimanesa Amorós

Grimanesa Amorós (/ˈɡrɪmənɛsəəmˈɔːroʊs/ gri-mah-NEH-sah-ah-moh-ROHS; born 1962 in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian-born American multimedia artist known for her work with light and technology. She creates large-scale sculptures that explore themes of cultural heritage, community, and the intersection of technology and art. After a trip to Iceland, her work began to incorporate lighting technology as a medium to enhance conceptual depth rather than defining it.
Amorós’s installations have been exhibited internationally at venues including the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Shanghai, China. Notable projects include Uros House at Times Square in New York City and Golden Waters at the Scottsdale Waterfront in Arizona.
In addition to her artistic practice, Amorós has lectured at institutions such as the NYU Stern School of Business, Brown University, and events including TEDGlobal and UBS x Art Basel in Hong Kong. Her art draws inspiration from cultural legacies, natural landscapes, and societal themes such as mental health, aiming to create immersive experiences that connect viewers, spaces, and communities.

## Early life and career

Grimanesa Amorós was born in Lima, Peru in 1962. Her father was a civil engineer, and her mother was a creative. While Amorós often observed her mother at work, both of her parents profoundly influenced her future artistic practice.
At the age of 11, Amorós developed a fascination with maps, which her mother recognized as a sign of her creative inclinations. In response, she enrolled Amorós in painting classes, nurturing her budding artistic interests.
Amorós pursued higher education in psychology, studying full-time at university. However, she left the program three months before graduating to follow a different path.
In 1984, Amorós relocated to New York City, where she began studying at The Art Students League of New York, where she studied from 1984 to 1988.

## Notable installations

Uros, was unveiled in the TriBeCa Issey Miyake store, designed by Frank Gehry, in New York City in 2011. This piece, as all other Uros installations, was inspired by the Uros people of Peru. It is made of light-diffusing material illuminated from within with LEDs that are programmed in a custom lighting sequence. The light installation, spanning 15 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 26 inches high, is intended to reflect the "natural elegance of sea foam and totora reeds", according to Amorós.
Uros House was presented in March 2011 as a site-specific light sculpture installation, as part of the Times Square Alliance's Public Art Program in collaboration with The Armory Show. The installation was located at Duffy Square and the Broadway Plaza between 46th and 47th Streets in New York City, in the heart of Times Square. Uros House was inspired by the housing structures of the Uros people. The Uros people inhabited floating islands made of totora reeds on Lake Titicaca in Peru. Uros Island was also unveiled in 2011 part of the Future Pass collateral event at the 54th Venice Biennale. It was inspired by the floating islands that the Uros inhabit.
In 2011, she was commissioned to create Golden Array by Reliance Group and Maker Maxity in the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, India. Inspired by the telephone wires above the Mumbai skyline, this light installation explores the theme of connectivity among humans. The structure is composed of multiple LEDs, with its LEDs mimicking the telephone wires of the Mumbai skyline. It spans 210 feet by 25 feet by 75 feet, making it one of Amorós's largest installations.
The Mirror Connection, a large-scale light installation, was exhibited at the Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFAM) in Beijing, Chinain 2013. The museum, designed by renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, provided a distinctive architectural context for the installation. The installation consists of illuminated, tentacle-like forms interconnected by visible wiring and programmed with dynamic and unpredictable light sequences.
Breathless Maiden Lane is an installation in the atrium of 125 Maiden Lane, a glass, marble and granite space in New York City's Financial District installed in 2014. Amorós used LED lights, diffusive material, and her signature "bubble" sculptures, reminiscent of her Uros sculptures. Amorós placed a gridded metal truss against the back wall of the atrium to contrast to the windows of the building's architecture. This piece is suspended, hovering above the ground to create the appearance that it is weightless.
Pink Lotus was unveiled in 2015 as part of a special commission for The Peninsula New York by Circa 1881 in Manhattan, as a part of their Art of Pink program. It was inspired by the lotus flower, a symbol of purity and rebirth, and supported Breast Cancer Awareness Month by placing this installation on the hotel's facade. On the facade lies carvings of Ceres, goddess of agriculture and abundance, and Diana, goddess of the hunt, the Moon, and childbirth.
Golden Waters, another large-scale light installation by Amorós, was also unveiled in 2015. This installation was installed along the Arizona Canal in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was inspired by the irrigation system of the indigenous people of the Hohokam tribe. Golden Waters comprises 80 feet of tubing threaded with LED lights spread on top of the canal, and is located adjacent to the Soleri Bridge, designed by architect and urban planner, Paolo Soleri. Golden Waters garnered praise for its transformative impact, turning the canal into a vibrant and reflective landscape. Amorós expressed her hope that "the work takes viewers into a space of reflection where they themselves might be surprised by their reactions".
In 2016, Grimanesa Amorós had her own exhibition, titled Ocupante at the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz, Germany. Ocupante, meaning "occupant" in Spanish, took inspiration from the differing sides on the topic of immigration. The location of Koblenz was also an inspiration, as it is a location in which three parts of the Berlin Wall are dedicated to "victims of the division". An accompanying catalogue for the exhibition, also titled Ocupante, was published by Hirmer Publishers to explore the literary themes explored in the exhibition.
Pink Lotus is a public light art installation unveiled in 2015 as part of a special commission for The Peninsula New York by Circa 1881 in Manhattan, as a part of their Art of Pink program. It was inspired by the lotus flower, a symbol of purity and rebirth, and supported Breast Cancer Awareness Month by placing this installation on the hotel's facade. On the facade lies carvings of Ceres, goddess of agriculture and abundance, and Diana, goddess of the hunt, the Moon, and childbirth.
As part of its 40th anniversary in 2018, BRIC commissioned Hedera, a temporary large light installation for Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. Amorós said she wanted the sculpture to bring viewers closer to a utopia in which people could "celebrate nature, diversity, creativity, and their shared humanity." This work has its own custom lighting sequence of red and white tubing that flows and pulsates. In the sculpture's cupola, visitors were able to see their own reflections. Meaning ivy in Latin, Amorós drew inspiration from Prospect Park's own flora and its natural beauty.
Argentum was commissioned in 2019 for the Bronx Museum of the Arts by Martin Weinstein and Teresa Liszka for their new location at 80 White Street. The permanent installation at the Bronx Museum is made of LEDs, diffusion and reflective material, a custom lighting sequence, electrical hardware, and stainless steel. This work reflects the shape of Manhattan and The Bronx and the museum's focus on expanding into different boroughs.
In 2022, she created Amplexus for Noor Riyadh, an annual festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The title derived from the Latin word for "embrace," reflected an interest in exploring themes of connection and cultural landscapes. The installation used light, form, and reflective materials to mirror the city’s unique characteristics back onto itself, aligning with the festival's theme of engaging viewers with Riyadh’s urban and natural environment.

## Collaborations

That same year, Amorós worked with Meshell Ndegeocello on the video La Incubadora and collaborated with Grammy-winning José Luis Pardo of Los Amigos Invisibles for the score of Reflexión Obscura. She also partnered with fashion designer Manuel Fernandez for his Fashion Art show, creating a dress titled Precious Nipples.
In her video Rootless Algas, she worked with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, who composed an original score. In 2013, Amorós collaborated with Ivri Lider of The Young Professionals on the soundtrack for her video Miranda, which premiered with her light sculpture Light Between the Islands in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In 2014, she partnered with Akiko Elizabeth Maie, the latest label from Nepenthes AMERICA INC., to present Onkochishin 2014. Amorós later collaborated with Cindy Chao during the Biennale des Antiquaires at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, creating the lighting sculpture Timeless Motion (In Life and Light).

## Awards and grants

* Choose Creativity Awards (2023)
* New York City Public Design Commission 41st Annual Awards for Excellence in Design (2023)
* Culture Summit Artists-in Residence Award (2018)
* Bronx Museum of the Arts: AIM Alumni Artist Award (2017)
* ARTspace Summer Artist-in-Residence (2004)
* Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowship Residency (2002)
* ART/OMI Fellowship Residency (1993)
* Bronx Museum of the Arts: AIM Program (1990)