Act 2: Searching for Power on the Collective Laugh

2.3 The Adventures of Chuchupe – The Public Moment

For Las Aventuras de Chuchupe, Stockholm became the stage for something uniquely transformative, both for the project and its participants. During the Research Week 2020 at the Royal Institute of Art, we re-staged a typical Peruvian street comedy setup—raw, unapologetic, and without any cultural or linguistic filters. Our goal was not to adapt the material for a Swedish audience but rather to intentionally keep it in its original form, performed entirely in Spanish.

By doing so, we sought to disrupt the exclusivity of the event’s location—a prestigious art institution nestled in one of the most exclusive parts of Stockholm—by attracting a different kind of audience. Specifically, we aimed to draw in the Latin American community of Stockholm, many of whom would likely have never stepped foot in such a rarefied setting. Through a targeted marketing strategy, we invited these community members to become the exclusive recipients of the laughs, creating a space where the Spanish-speaking audience could connect with the street comedians on a cultural level, in a setting that typically excludes them.

For the three street comedians—Kelvin Cordova, Cholo Víctor, and Koki Santa Cruz—travelling to Stockholm to perform was a monumental achievement. Known for building their reputations on exaggerated narratives of success, this international appearance represented an undeniable milestone in their careers. The project recognized the symbolic weight of this moment, knowing that bringing them to such a prestigious platform was not only a professional peak but also the final gesture the project could offer in supporting their artistic journeys.

“Three street comedians are performing at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. For a street comedian, for me, Koki Santa Cruz, from the provinces, from Cusco, being there doing my job for more than 30 years… that presentation was one of the most important things that has happened to me in my life. It marked my life, brother.”
(Koki) (Arriarán, 2020, p.14)

This presentation, while a culminating moment, was also a reflection of the project’s core ambition: to challenge hierarchical structures in art and performance. By aiming that the Latin American community could dominate the space—both as audience and as cultural mediators—we turned the idea of exclusivity on its head. Las Aventuras de Chuchupe didn’t just travel to Stockholm; it intended, during its brief presence, to redefine the space, placing marginalized voices at the heart of one of the city’s most exclusive cultural enviroments.