Decolonial Axis
Erika Calderon
The concept of “Axis Mundi” imagines a sacred space connecting heaven and earth, with human beings at the center of the cosmos. As a universal symbol of the gateway between concrete and spiritual realities, it can be found in visual expressions of many civilizations since the dawn of humanity.
From her roots in Colombia, Erika Calderon explores the socio-cultural challenges and cross-overs that arise when cultures encounter each other through forced or voluntary dialogue and cohabitation. Taking the diaspora of the indigenous Embera people as point of departure, she stresses the need for a ‘de-colonization’ of the dominant Western world view, which prevents the recognition of the multiplicity present in every element of the universe.
In the OKAMÁ, a necklace that represents the cultural transformation and amalgamation of the Embera community, Erika finds an echo of the “Axis Mundi,” a thread that interweaves culture, nature, science and humans in an infinite number of aesthetic possibilities. Erika’s three-channel video installation offers an imaginative channel, fostering a de-colonial awakening to the recognition of coexistence. A liberating exercise leading to an inclusive and intercultural social renewal.
