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Fausto Fernandez

Fausto Fernández is a young artist who seeks to preserve and represent Moche artistry as well as other pre-Hispanic cultures of Peru. He developed a fascination for dramatic poetry at a young age, but by 1990 a need awoke in him to recreate with his hands the scenes, characters and customs of the Peruvian pre-Hispanic peoples.

This passion drove Fernández to read everything he could about such cultures. Doig and Tello became his favorite historians; their books helped Fernández place himself and his work within a specific context. He defines himself as an "Andean artist born in my beloved Peru, hundreds of years after my Moche ancestors, in the vicinity of the Sun and Moon architectural sites. As such, I represent through my work the sentiments of an organized and hard-working group of people. My work is intended to show the world our art and our life."

Fernández believes his passion for Moche ceramics began in high school when studying pre-Hispanic history. He adapted Moche hand-crafting techniques for shaping and coloring his sculptures. Fernández mainly works with local red clay, which he prepares himself. He crafts the figures of clay and uses engobes (slip or liquid clay tinted with natural pigments) to add color. After firing a piece at 1,000º C (1,832º F) in a rustic kiln, he polishes it.