This mask set is inspired and designed for the use and enjoyment of those who attend the carnival parade. They are made with papier mâché techniques, acrylics, and yarn.
©Carlos Benavides Díaz
©Carlos Benavides Díaz
©Zico Rodríguez
©Carlos Benavides Díaz
©Carlos Benavides Díaz
Dayra Benavides
- Casa Carnaval
- Mask maker
- Pasto, Colombia
- Master Artisan
Contact
Spanish, English
Hours:
By appointment only
By appointment only
Phone:
+57 3003129158
+57 3003129158
©Carlos Benavides Díaz
Mystical revelations at the carnival
- • Dayra makes costumes and masks for carnivals and for rock bands in Colombia
- • She started out by using her mother’s fabric scrap to accessorise
- • Her costumes are made with several traditional crafts from Nariño province
As a multi-year winner of the Blacks and Whites Carnival individual costume contest since 2015, Dayra Benavides has become a disruptive force in Pasto’s traditional annual event. Through rich and creative designs comprised of dress, mask and dance, Dayra has contributed her mysticism to the Carnival and made a homage to the local crafts and collective imagery of her people. While living in Bogotá as a successful visual artist, Dayra reconnected with her roots and inherited skills. Her mother, a dancer and carnival craftswoman, and her father, a mopa mopa varnish artisan-turned photographer, paved the way for Dayra into the world of the carnival. Dayra crosses cultural, spiritual, and even gender thresholds in her costume designs and dances, winning her admiration, both locally and abroad.
Read the full interviewWorks
Photo: ©Carlos Benavides Díaz
Masks for the Carnival
Photo: ©Manuel Vallejo
La Guaneña (complete costume)
In this full costume of La Guaneña, inspired by the Ñapangas, the ancestral feminine deity, papier mâché techniques, acrylic, and local materials like mopa-mopa resin and toquilla hay were used.
Photo: ©John Mario Leyton
Muju
The Muju ritual mask is inspired by playful Andean deities and used to dance in the Carnival of Blacks and Whites of Pasto. This piece was made with papier mâché techniques, acrylics and yarn.
Photo: ©John Mario Leyton
Nuna Raymi
Nuna Raymi is the Andean party spirit. This ritual mask is inspired by Andean and festive deities to dance in the Black and White Carnival of Pasto. The piece was made with papier mâché techniques, acrylics and yarn.
Photo: ©John Mario Leyton
La Guaneña
La Guaneña ritual mask is inspired by the Ñapangas, ancestral feminine deity. This piece is made with papier maché techniques, acrylic, and local materials like mopa-mopa resin and toquilla hay.
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