Exhibit language:

Cardboard Cutouts

Examples from the Benson's Cartonera Collection

Feminist Voices

Cartoneras have provided a welcoming space for women’s voices to emerge because it provides them with opportunities to publish individually or in groups. The cover to Poetas peruanas acknowledges the work of contemporary Peruvian women writers from across the regions of the nation.

Cover for a cartonera focused on contemporary Peruvian women poets.

A work of prose in which the author talks about her relationship with her husband.

In this section, examples show women navigating relationships. Pavón (2003) displays her love for her husband while calling him “the baddest man in the world.” His work as a critic often interferes with their marriage through arguments.

Vásquez (2010) writes of how guarded she feels because men have been a regular source of disappointment in her life. She acknowledges the expectations that she has, that her partner meet her halfway in the relationship, and how infrequently that happens.

A prose piece that shows the expectations of the feminine voice in regard to her relationships with men.

Poem reflecting the struggles of womanhood in a repressive society.

Finally, Colón Torres (2010) writes a biting commentary on the oppression of women within the country, and as a microcosm, the house, in her poem that implores women to never marry or become pregnant.