Description
In this artwork, we are transported to a remote corner of Venezuela, in the state of Delta Amacuro, at the heart of the Orinoco Delta, where the river represents the only mean of communication.
Here, we encounter the Warao, known as the “people of the canoes.” .” Due to pollution, the river no longer provides them with food, but instead brings diseases.
Warao children play in the polluted waters of that river, and many of them suffer from malnutrition, malaria, and tuberculosis.
To escape the economic and social crisis, many are emigrating to neighboring countries, often without receiving adequate welcome.
Despite their rights being recognized in the Constitution, they are way too often forgotten by governments.
These children represent the artist’s connection to her roots: in them, she sees a reflection of her own childhood, fragile, yet proud, she holds a sincere concern for their future, as they often migrate alone.
This is a new, silent, and unexplored exodus happening far from Europe.
The canvas is hung on a bamboo pole, reminiscent of the traditional “guadua” material used in building the stilt houses of this tribe in riverine and rainforest areas.
In this painting, the artist merges her identity and roots with an open and courageous critique of an uncomfortable crisis that the governments’ corrupt power would prefer to keep hidden.
A sincere tribute to origins and an awareness of the challenges that indigenous communities face daily.
Special thanks to photographer and artist Luis Flores Delgado for the photographic inspiration that brought this creation to life.
