Artist’s country of origen: Colombia
Materials: Coca leaf powder, neutral silkscreen base, clay, mineral pigments, gold and silver leaf on fiber paper mounted on foam board
Medium: Installation, Print / Graphic Work
Size: 400 x 1800 cm – 400 x 1500 cm
Year: 2018

In this monumental installation, Rojas critiques the environmental degradation and social inequalities resulting from extractive industries and illicit economies. By using materials like coca leaf powder and gold leaf, Rojas underscores the complex interplay between cultural heritage and the exploitative forces of globalization.

Displayed at the 12th Shanghai Biennale and later at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO) in the exhibition Regreso a la Maloca, this piece serves as a poignant commentary on the ongoing colonial dynamics and the commodification of natural resources. Rojas’s work invites viewers to reflect on the intertwined histories of indigenous knowledge, ecological destruction, and the pursuit of wealth, challenging them to reconsider the true cost of progress.

Artist’s country of origen: Colombia
Materials: Coca leaf handmade paper
Medium: Installation, Print / Graphic Work
Size: 113x166cm
Year: 2007

Despite the fact that the illegal economy linked to illicit drugs is the second most lucrative business in the world, small coca plant growers and raspachines (those who harvest the leaves) receive only a tiny fraction of the profits.

Raspachines’ Dreams (Health) is part of a series of works with the words Housing, Health, Education, and Peace translated into the Nasa language. These terms refer to citizen rights that have historically been denied to many Colombian communities who, in their attempt to escape state neglect and poverty, have been forced to cultivate coca to survive. There are no specific terms for these concepts in Nasa Yuwe; for example, health is defined in Nasa as “Joy to the heart.”