Indigenous Children

Photo credits: Yesid Alexánder Acero Durán
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Yesid Alexánder Acero Durán

Assemblage of coins on an altarpiece painted with oil
150 x 150 m

This detailed portrait of an indigenous child with wheat-coloured skin, a prominent nose, black hair, and a green background is painted in oil over one-hundred peso coins. Acero is a mouth painter who lost the use of his hands due to a combat injury and was both a witness and victim of the land-related economic conflict. The artist uses money as an artistic medium to highlight the loss of identity concerning the territory of indigenous peoples in Colombia. The work challenges Article 330 of the Constitution, which recognises the autonomy of indigenous territories and guarantees that natural resource exploitation shall not harm their cultural, social, or economic integrity.