Marking Peru’s bicentennial year of independence, the exhibition highlighted the history, beliefs and cultural achievements of the country’s different peoples from around 2500 BC to the arrival of the Europeans in the 1500s, and their legacy in the centuries that followed.

The exhibition featured objects from the British Museum’s collection, including pottery, precious metals, textiles and ritual paraphernalia, as well as extraordinary pieces borrowed from Peru itself. Studio Eger collaborated closely with the 3D designer Aaron Jones, DHA Lighting Design, and the client team to design a perimeter supergraphic of photography, alongside layered hanging scrims of people living in Peru today, to give a vivid sense of place. The graphic design also featured a hand-drawn timeline, maps, and a family trail, all inspired by the drawings found within the exhibits.

Jonathan Jones at ‘The Guardian’ named the exhibition as one of his top 5 cultural picks for 2021: “A mind-altering encounter that changed my artistic map of the world… [the] exhibition’s calm, steady pace and cool layout provide essential grounding as you try to get your head around 2,000 years of ritual warfare, human sacrifice and top-notch hallucinogenics.”

Exhibition Design: Aaron Jones
Lighting Design: DHA

Photography © The Trustees of the British Museum