I was born in Soacha, although my roots also come from Tolima and Bogotá. My identity is deeply rooted in Soacha, and it was precisely that mix that led me to art—through the love of plants, animals, and the environment that I inherited from my family from Tolima. Fifteen years ago, I discovered the wetlands of Soacha, and that’s where it all began. I fell in love with the ecosystem and started working as a volunteer, taking my daughter with me and teaching her to care for what we have. Together, we took part in meetings, cleaned up spaces, and educated the community. That ongoing struggle led me to merge my activism with art.
I designed a jacket featuring birds, butterflies, and trees that live in the wetlands. I put it on and went to Soacha’s main park. People came up to me, asked questions, and that’s how the dialogue began. A designer once told me, “Do you know you’re an artist?” And that’s how my native art was born—with a message, with a purpose. Every piece I create carries symbols of the ecosystem; whoever wears it also carries a message and becomes an educator. My art is a voice for the environment.
I work with recycled fabrics from factories, improvising based on what I find, always thinking about protecting both nature and our skin. My work is like a baby that has taught me to grow, to love myself, to feel confident. Soacha is an essential part of my work. I have been officially recognized by the municipality as a representative of the wetlands through art. I dream of taking this message to other countries, of people coming to discover Soacha and its ecosystems. Because this goes beyond design—it is activism, it is love, it is resistance.
