Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia - Opening at MOIFA

‍Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia is a groundbreaking retrospective of the work of Nuevomexicano artist Policarpio Valencia (1853-1931), now open at the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) in Santa Fe. Ideum collaborated with MOIFA to develop an interactive, touch- and projection-based exhibit exploring Valencia’s artwork.

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“The exhibition, running from June 8, 2025, through July 27, 2026, in MOIFA’s Hispanic Heritage Wing, offers a rare and intimate look at the life and artistic contributions of Valencia, whose embroidered textiles examine themes of morality, mortality, and spirituality with a distinctive blend of humor and depth.” 

It was a pleasure to work with the talented curators and staff at MOIFA on this fascinating exhibit. Our interactive application allows visitors to examine the textiles front and back in detail. For the pieces that contain text, visitors can hear the messages in either Spanish or English. The transcript readings were done by descendants of the artist, many of whom attended the opening. The touch screen kiosk we developed presents information on a large projection in the gallery.

We enjoyed participating at the opening on Friday night. We will be posting more on this exhibit in our portfolio soon.  See MOIFA’s press release for more information about the exhibition. You can see additional images on the Ideum Flickr site.