Kichwa art sustains culture across borders
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Adina Farinango, a Kichwa Otavalo artist from Ecuador and the United States, uses her art to connect with her heritage and express the experiences of her community.
Growing up surrounded by art and storytelling, Farinango learned from generations of artisans, musicians, and weavers who built trade networks for Kichwa communities. Though she wasn’t formally trained, she developed a practice using digital illustration, embroidery, and murals to explore themes of identity, memory, and belonging.
Farinango’s art often features the anaco, traditional Kichwa clothing, which she sees as a powerful symbol of resistance and cultural identity. She draws on childhood memories of her mother teaching her to wear the anaco and uses her art to reclaim narratives about her people. She identifies this work as “Kichwa Futurism,” envisioning a future where Kichwa people are represented beyond historical or tokenized portrayals.
Farinango shares her art online, building connections with other Kichwa people in the diaspora and contributing to a collective history. She also addresses the appropriation of Kichwa culture within Ecuador and beyond, where nationalistic narratives and commercial interests often co-opt Indigenous aesthetics without acknowledging the people behind them. Through her work, Farinango asserts Kichwa presence and creates representation that reflects the experiences of her community.
