Praising Rupture: De-centralizing, De-territorializing, De-colonizing Invisible Ecosystems of Critical Artistic Practice

This talk is Praising Rupture: De-centralizing, De-territorializing, De-colonizing Invisible Ecosystems of Critical Artistic Practice

It is both a love letter and a reckoning—a reflection on de-centralizing, de-territorializing, and de-colonizing invisible ecosystems of critical artistic practice.

It’s about the “de”—the liminal, the before-materialization space that guides arts-based research.

So in the spirit of Audre Lorde who said clearly: “Your silence will not protect you.” As a teacher and artist, I strive to inhabit this space with love, care and hope while failing thousands of times to dismantle my colonial ego. 

To keep trying, I stand on Paulo Freire (1970) who reminds us, that artists, are cultural workers, not rock stars. 

And that led me to Biodiversity because it starts with humility—recognising that we are humans, derived from the soil, affecting our world.

In that attempt, to be a human, I deconstruct visual culture and art history to reveal how actions harm ecosystems and their sentient beings. In that sense, and to remind us how colonised we are, I would like to cite Rivera Cusicanqui (2016) who reminds us that colonization persists in everyday systems. Even the colonizer must decolonize themselves, confronting their “illegitimate and violent” power. 

Toni Morrison (1987) said, “You are your ancestors. You are your future generations.” Decolonizing knowledge means honouring this lineage while rejecting the commodification of cultures and bodies for profit. 

It is not easy.

As a South American artist with European refugee ancestry, I’ve traversed maps—both literal and metaphorical. Maps obscure species, cultures, and identities. 

So I began to incorporate, dynamic diagrams to rethink physical and research territories and/as knowledge.

Guattari’s (1995) ecosophy helps us see beyond borders imposed by power.

And Crenshaw removed a veil enlightening us with intersectionality as it reveals the interwoven systems shaping shared realities.

Life thrives on diversity, just as ecosystems flourish through coexistence. Haseman’s (2006) diffraction metaphor shows how ideas ripple, emphasizing fluid, transformative exchanges.

To de-centre is to resist monoculture—the privileging of one truth.

Sara Ahmed (2012) warns that knowledge is commodified and exclusionary, while Silvia Federici (2012) calls for breaking academic silos to create spaces for everyone. Rancière (2004) describes this as disrupting the “partition of the sensible,” where only some can think, speak, or act.

Everything I do is interwoven with my roles as an artist, teacher and researcher. Artistic projects are invisible ecosystems—networks of relationships, emotions, and histories.

Borges’s “Labyrinth of labyrinths” reflects this complexity.

Art disrupts dominant narratives, amplifies silenced voices, and fosters empathy. The Critical zines and feminist pedagogies implemented in projects such as the one I am conducting at school with my students are not just creations but acts of resistance. 

They, my students, also as artists, researchers and teachers show us that creativity emerges from discomfort and a commitment to justice.

To decentralize, de-territorialize, and decolonize is to build a shared commons—where knowledge, art, and education become tools for collective empowerment.

As Borges said, “In the dream of the man that dreamed, the dreamed one awoke.”

Thank you.

References

• Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity in institutional life. Duke University Press.

• Federici, S. (2012). Revolution at point zero: Housework, reproduction, and feminist struggle. PM Press.

• Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.

• Guattari, F. (1995). Chaosmosis: An ethico-aesthetic paradigm. Indiana University Press.

• Morrison, T. (1987). Beloved. Alfred A. Knopf.

• Rancière, J. (2004). The politics of aesthetics. Continuum.

• Rivera Cusicanqui, S. (2016). Sociología de la imagen: Miradas ch'ixi desde la historia andina. Tinta Limón Ediciones.

2024. Introduction to A/r/tography & Artistic Research. [online]. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Webinar.