Description
Four Warao children emerge from the foliage like spirits of the forest — not merely surrounded by nature, but part of it. Their gazes speak of a deep bond with the Orinoco Delta, where river and jungle merge into a single identity.
The Warao, “people of the canoes,” have inhabited these watery lands for centuries. Today, however, Venezuela’s crisis has forced many to migrate, often undocumented, in search of survival and dignity.
I began painting these faces years ago, while researching indigenous migration. The face of Alma Warao, who appears again in this piece, keeps calling to me — as if asking not to be forgotten. In these children, I see the forest itself: a presence that resists, quietly, erasure.
This painting is an act of listening. And of remembrance.
