La Cueca del Futuro

Year Completed: 2024

Medium: Lithography

Size: 11in x 14in

La Cueca del Futuro reimagines Chile’s national dance, the Cueca, as a metaphor for the future of cultural identity, power dynamics, and societal divisions. In this piece, the central figure, a huaso dressed in traditional Chilean attire, represents the deep-rooted customs of seduction and connection, but here, it becomes a reflection on silenced voices. The figure covers the mouth of her counterpart, who holds a skeleton of herself—symbolizing the duality of life and death, of tradition and transformation.

Two colors dominate the piece, creating stark contrasts that echo the divisions often imposed on nations—what defines a “first world” country versus a “third world” country. These labels, tied to perceptions of development, wealth, and freedom, are deconstructed here, where symbols of transportation and the everyday in Chile show the complexity of a nation defined by external systems.

The fences surrounding houses, rather than the open spaces seen in other countries, become a visual metaphor for the limitations imposed by these global hierarchies. This fencing reflects not only physical boundaries but also economic and cultural enclosures that restrict freedom, while other nations may appear boundless.

La Cueca del Futuro calls into question the criteria used to define a nation’s standing in the world, challenging the viewer to reconsider the power structures and cultural narratives that dictate these divisions. Through the visual dance of seduction, silence, and self-reflection, the piece invites the audience to see the layered realities that Chile, and many other nations, face in the global landscape.