Meet Zumbambico

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zumbambico and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zumbambico, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As an entrepreneur taking risks becomes a key part of my practice. I am always on the look out opportunities to share my work with others and this involves taking a lot of chances and learning to deal with rejection on a daily basis.

It could be sending an email to a potential client, networking at a gallery opening, expressing my opinions through an instagram post, submitting applications for open calls, working on projects, investing on materials, launching new products, and even trying a new technique are all things that require taking a leap and that might or not succeed.. However, the more I take chances, the more I believe in myself and the more confident I feel about my art. Clearly, this does not means things always flourish, but staying active is much better than allowing myself to freeze with fear. No matter the result, I always learn something and that itself is a win.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My name is Isabel and I am a Colombian artist, best known as Zumbambico (the name of my brand, which I created in 2015). I have centered my art on my experience of being born and raised in a society where both beauty and behavioral standards are imposed on women’s bodies. I think of my work as a tool for healing my relationship with my body, giving space to my emotions, creating my own emancipated territory and inviting others to do the same.

Since a very early age, art has become the language through which I communicate with myself and those around me. I approach my craft in a very intuitive way, where every piece works as a ritual that allows me to release, give voice to my emotions, and transform them into something new. Consequently, process plays an essential role in my work. This is the moment when catharsis happens and I can simply be.

I love experimenting with different techniques and I believe every tool has its own language, which if you listen carefully, will take you to very fun and unexpected discoveries. I frequently draw on my iPad (specially commissioned pieces), and I make sure to take notebook and a pen with me everywhere I go. During the pandemic, I started hand-painting porcelain plates, and I also love painting on canvases and walls.

My work has been exhibited in collective exhibitions in Bogotá, Barcelona, Porto, New York, Houston, Mexico City, Toulouse, and Rio de Janeiro. In 2019, and had a solo show “Inner Landscapes” at Hae (Maastricht, The Netherlands). In 2023, I published my first children’s book, Un circo debajo del brazo, and I this year, I will be launching a chapbook titled “Raíces”, published by Ethel.

This path is not easy, but it is very rewarding. As I mentioned before, I have been fortunate to meet people that support and encourage me, however, I have also encountered a lot of rejection along the way, which, ironically, has led me to develop a huge amount of perseverance, strength and confidence in myself. Being an entrepreneur requires a lot of work and discipline, but also, the humility to knock on doors and keep trying, even when everything seems hopeless.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely take them to a different café every day, not only because Colombian coffee is delicious, but because I love coffee places (we call them cafecitos). We’d also go to the Botanical Garden, go to Bogotá’s downtown, and visit Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), where there is an extensive collection of our precolombine art. We’d also take long walks that end either at a flea market, a good view, a library or a movie theater.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Many people!!

My biggest shout out goes to my parents, who have always encouraged me to follow my dreams and have supported me unconditionally through this path’s high and lows.

I am also very grateful for meeting people who have believed in my work and have given me the opportunity to share it with others, such as Audrey Wang, who welcomed me to make my first solo exhibit at Hae, her art space in Maastricht, Sarah Lefsyk, founder of Ethel, an independent press who, was very open to publishing my chapbook “Raíces”, and Alba Inés Arias, from Lerner Bookstore, who has always been receptive to my work.

In addition to that, organizations such as Women In Times, Fòs Feminista, The Opera Next Door, among others, as well as artists I have collaborated with, such as poet Joshua Burton, Ramelle Ramos, Krisna Tea, Deniece Sami, have been very important through my process. Last but not least, since I was very young, I was lucky to have teachers that have nourished me and motivated me, they are: Arnie Mejia, Bruce Von Eck, Paula Bossio, Denise Storel, Diana Mesa, Nelly Hurtado, Rocío Vivas, Galia Ospina, and Tim Bower.

Website: https://www.zumbambicoarte.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zumbambico/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zumbambicoarte/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB-v0Em0sKAhs8p48PSzFZw

Image Credits
Zumbambico