Collection: Awera
AWERA (”The path to become a woman” in Emberá Chami language) is a collaborative project by multimedia artist Natalia Escobar that visualizes a transcultural community of the future. The exhibition presents the result of a communal artistic laboratory in which Las Traviesas- a community of indigenous Emberá trans woman that live in Santuario Colombia- and a group of multidisciplinary artists from Latin America and Germany, reflect on how colonial constructions of identity can be queered, and what possibilities of being a woman exist beyond cisgender categories. In Awera, the participants shift the focus from white, western and urban gender identities to decolonial, non-western and rural concepts of queerness, in which the Emberá cosmovision, rituals, traditional heritage and the local culture of the coffee region have a strong influence.
The body of work was developed in Santuario, Colombia between January and April 2021. Throughout this period, different disciplines like film, music, performance, monotype printing, twerking and photography were put in dialogue with each other. Different works were developed through shared experiences and inspired by the Embera cosmovision, the retelling of dreams, and imagination exercises.
Awera tells of the need for unexpected collaborations as well as new and unpredictable kinships that go beyond the usual genealogical, ethnocentric and anthropocentric relationships. There is a sense of an intersectional community of the future, where it is possible to flourish safely, empowered and strong. An intimate dialogue across the diverse backgrounds and imaginations was created in the interplay of the different works of the exhibition, portraying Las Traviesas aspirations to demonstrate that there are different ways to be an Embera woman.