There are indigenous peoples that connect with the memories of Mother Earth, observe the visions, and hold the ancestors’ wisdom. They sustain our social diversity and sing in unity with the Great Spirit.
There are vast areas of forests that preserve life on Earth. Those endangered immortal trees are the roots of all our existence, with their roots as bloody veins all the souls are interconnected.
Being born and raised in a plurinational country (Ecuador) influenced the pursuit of ancestral knowledge, not only about culture, traditions, arts, and crafts; but about the cosmovision, myths, and rituals of primal nations. This made me travel to witness the deep connection indigenous people still maintain with Mother Earth and learned the wisdom of Aents, a word in Shuar (the language of the Shuar Nation from the Amazon) that describes that everything is alive: humans, animals, supernatural beings, plants, and objects.
The illumination produced by this multicultural dialogue through their diverse visions and knowledge is what I reflect in my work. Nature has force, everything is alive, and everything has power, this is manifested in the visions. Nature as a shadow is omnipresent, it occupies everything and is the essence of all in our existence. I create art with the pure intention to bring soul to objects and transmits Aents.
Painting’s
statement
When you open yourself to the enigma and the mystery of the vast of the universe, some dreams and visions show themselves in a very mystical way. My narrative paintings are the visual realization of the unseen. I try to create a dialogue between the visions and reality, so the observer could challenge the naive idea that the mind is in control of what is the real world we perceive. There is the transmission of my personal vision, where ancestral myths, allegories, and complex symbolisms are narrated. My ethereal color palette evokes dreams and creates a subtle comfort for the viewer. I try to elicit the interaction of Mother Earth and the Great Mystery.
Ceramic’s
statement
My work with ceramics came from studying and replicating Pre-Columbian artifacts that were not only beautiful but possessed a functional and ritual character, produced sound, was part of everyday life, and were used with intention during ceremonies. Many of those ancient artifacts prevail after thousands of years to be admired today and I find my inspiration in these fragile objects, survivors of the ephemeral trajectory of time that have transcended. The communication with time, the memories of the past, and visions of the future are reflected in my work. As well as the inherent magic and mystery ceramics have.
The process starts with the vision. Functional and ritual art, an altar heirloom, a relic. As a ceramicist, I transform elemental clay into a perceptible substance of the vision. With my musical sculptures, I transform the wind into a material expression of this invisible power. This is the principle of the wind, the manifestation, and transmission of power, according to the Shuar cosmovision.
I wished to metamorphose mud into a substantial physical object that reflects “Aents” and I hope one day my artifacts can survive the transition of time and that with my art more than a dialogue I could awaken feelings, evoke the past of useful art, and sustain the future of art at the service of the spirit and the Pachamama.