In 1980, following the return to democracy after the military regime of General Alvarado, Burga embarked on an ambitious large-scale research project, Perfil de la Mujer Peruana (Profile of the Peruvian Woman), exhibited at Banco Continental, Lima, Peru. In collaboration with sociologist Marie-France Cathelat, Burga surveyed 290 middle-class women in Lima about various aspects of their social and physical identities, including height, weight, religion, political affiliations, among other categories. The data collected was organized into twelve “profiles:” physiological, psychological, social, educational, cultural, religious, professional, economic, etc.. To display their statistical findings, Burga employed the use of various conceptual and sculptural tools: a mannequin, a jigsaw puzzle, and variousseveral anatomical drawings. In 2017, Burga revisited the project and was able to realize physical models to further illustrate her original findings from 1980. Among these objects are an abacus, various ballot boxes, glass containers of holy water and salt, and a contemporary quipu (based on the ancient Incan counting device made of threaded knots). Due to the cultural climate in Peru in the early 80s, the original presentation of this large-scale project was met with relatively brief critical attention, but as curator Kalliopi Minioudaki explains, Burga was ahead of her time: “As a collaborative, interdisciplinary project that engaged the local community and institutions, raised awareness, and envisioned change, it brought her work as close as it ever came to feminist social practice.”
