Lika Mutal (12 September 1939 – 7 November 2016) was a Dutch-Peruvian sculptor whose career began in 1971. Mutal is well known for her hand carved stonework, which focuses on the interconnectedness of the human and non-human world. The idea of duality is an omnipresent theme in Mutal’s life, as she is of European heritage, but she lives part-time in the ancient landscape of Lima, Peru and part-time in the modern architecture of New York City. Duality manifests in her work as she juxtaposes rough, jagged edges with smooth, polished surfaces, as well as with the physical structure of the work, has each of the pieces typically as some element that links two independent pieces. Most impressive about her work- is Mutal’s ability to give a sort of dynamism to the inherently static substance of stone. Mutal’s work is well represented globally, and her practice is based out of Norha Haime Gallery in New York City.
Early life and education
Lika Mutal was born in the Netherlands in 1939. Her mother was an accomplished pianist and singer, and her father was an oil painter. Mutal was the third child of twelve, and the first girl born in the family. Though her father influenced her love for the arts, Mutal never learned the visual arts, and in fact, she found her father's black and white paintings boring. From a young age, Mutal wished to become an actress. She acted in the cabaret in the Netherlands, and attended Bonifacius College in Utrecht. As she became more skilled, she sought out the traditional theatre school. However, she never attended because she had met the man who would later become her husband.
In 1962, Lika married Silvio Mutal. Soon after, in 1964, the two moved to Colombia for Silvio’s job. Mutal fell in love with Colombia instantly, and found herself intrigued by the effect that the landscape, which was so different from the flat and grey city scape of the Netherlands, had on the human consciousness. Because of the language barrier, Mutal’s acting dream was put on hold, so she began to puppeteer in order to continue performing. She handmade each of her puppets, which ultimately lead her to pursue sculpture as a career. Her puppets began as representational figures that she used to portray her political opinions, but within time became increasingly abstract until they could hardly be considered puppets anymore, but instead small sculptures.
Lika Mutal studied at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia for a short time until she moved with her husband and two children to Lima, Peru in 1968. Mutal was mystified by the untouched landscape of Peru juxtaposed with a growing interest in modern architecture. While in Lima, she began studying at the Universidad Catolica. At the University, she studied under Anna Maccagno, who taught her to work with traditional materials such as clay, wood, and steel. In 1971, Mutal was introduced to a well-known stone smith, Don Juan Arias, who would soon become her greatest influence. Beyond the technicality of the classroom, Arias taught Mutal the importance of developing an intimate relationship with stone, as if it had a soul. He showed her healing qualities found in stone if one takes the time to notice, the very same qualities that are dangerous if not careful. Halfway through the degree at the Universidad Catolica, Mutal quit in order to work on her own, and no evidence points to her ever returning. While still a novice to stonework, Mutal was very cautious of outside artistic influences, and resisted visiting the ancient Incan stonework located in Cuzco, Peru as she feared she may never want to work with stone again. In 1978, she visited Cuzco for the first time. Here she saw that Pre-Columbian art was created to serve a purpose, rather than to be beautiful.
Career and work
After quitting university, Mutal rented a small studio in Barranco, Lima. That same year, she had her first small art show. Two years later, after building her portfolio and collection of work, Mutal was noticed by the Galerie D’Eendt, in Amsterdam. This show was the tipping point of her career that gained her a great deal of global admiration and led to her next show at the Galerie Daniel Gervis in Paris, France.
In 1983, Lika Mutal was invited to become part of the Nahra Haime Gallery in New York. This relationship has continued to the present and as influenced Mutal to take residence in New York City, as well as Peru.