The Chilean psychedelic rock band Nerbuda contacted me to create the illustration for their single “Rastros”, from the album of the same name. The song addresses the long and painful conflict between the Chilean state and the Mapuche people, the Indigenous community of southern Chile.
Since the arrival of the Spanish conquest (and continuing to this day), the Mapuche have suffered the loss of their ancestral lands, cultural suppression, and ongoing violence against those who defend their territory, and now also the native forests from large forestry companies. The Chilean army often protects these industries, deepening the historical wounds in the Araucanía region.
While developing the artwork, I asked myself: “What does it mean to look into the eyes of a Mapuche person?”. From that question, I imagined a portrait that transforms the subject’s clothing into symbolic landscapes, representing layers of memory and history: The loss of their language and worldview, the imposition of Christianity over their spiritual bond with nature, the forced migration from sacred ecosystems to industrial cities, and the profound resilience of the Mapuche people, who continue to exist despite centuries of attempts to erase them.
The title “Peltrüntekun” is a word in Mapudungun that means “to push in.” To push in is to recognize that I come from them. I look life from what I carry, I carry the story of what they have lost and what they still resist for. Their struggle is also my story.
Client: Nerbuda
Creative advisors: Rodrigo Matus Mardones, Felipe Herrera Rodríguez and Daniel Olguín Lundborg