Art as a Tool for Transformation

The Secret, part of Cecilia Paredes’ photographic series Paisajes (Landscapes), suggestively camouflages the artist’s own body against intricate and ornamented backgrounds. Painted with great detail, her skin merges seamlessly with the green and beige wallpaper around her.

Coming from a family that has roots in Haiti’s modern history and popular culture, Tessa Mars’s work pushes back against the way her country’s history has traditionally been represented in art. 

Upon arriving in Chile, after fleeing her native Venezuela, artist Mercedes De Haay came to learn about the Selknam people and made them the subject of her most recent work on metal.

Artist Darwin Fuentes challenges prejudice towards people of diverse sexual orientation: "Marking the distance from that which is different—alterity—is a sign of self-protection, and another form of violence."

“If the world is concerned with economic growth, gender equality and justice, any efforts should include health, safety and educational programs targeted to underprivileged children”, says Shi. 

By playing around with some of his family photos, artist Felipe Soto Niño, depicts the symbiosis that should take place between humanity and nature, a crucial relationship for sustainable development.

Colombian artist Simón Zarama Pombo wants to invite the audience to explore and draw their own conclusions on, among other things, the type of relationships that exists between humans and technology. 

For young artist Katherinne Sánchez Gómez, the preservation of these ecosystems is vital for the existence of these species, if allowed to function as a safe haven for migratory birds.

Duran collects trash that found its way onto the shores of the coastline of Sian Ka’an, Mexico’s largest federally protected reserve, and creates this dystopian landscapes on the beaches of the Mayan Riviera. 

For photographer Alfredo Esparza Cárdenas, the desolate landscape of Este camino no es is relevant in the context of global warming and production policies that have driven us to the environmental crisis we are experiencing today.

A penalty is a punishment for breaking a rule in the game of soccer, and, in relation to Barker's work, a penalty is the price we all pay if we do not look after our oceans by managing the over consumption of plastic and becoming responsible for its disposal. 

For photographer and cultural activist Lyann Leguisamo, the festival, and these photos, are vehicles to show how valuable their culture and community are, and to motivate them to keep working hard. 

Cattle culture is strongly tied with Colombian and Latin American identity. From when they were first introduced into to the continent, zebus have been associated with economy and food, coexisting with the native landscape and culture for centuries. 

With a different view of economic development as a byproduct of sustainability, Venezuelan artist María Fernanda Lairet explores the interactions of economic systems and humans.