Wiphala
In ‘Wiphala’, Consuelo Oppizzi explores the Andean Cosmovision as potential inspiration for a more sustainable future. According to her, the current climate crisis requires us to seek new models of coexistence with all forms of life. An answer may lie in adjusting our collective moral and ethical values in dealing with our environment and the earth. To inhabit a world in the awareness that we are part of an ecosystem that we all depend on and that simultaneously depends on us.
The Andean Cosmovision is a cosmic philosophy from the Andean region of South America. It sees everything as interconnected and that everything is affected by our environment. Time is circular, which means that events from the past will repeat themselves in the future. This view combines religious and social beliefs that are considered the philosophical basis for the rights of nature.
Oppizzi photographs the daily lives of the inhabitants of the Quebrada de Humahuaca in northern Argentina, one of the driest regions on the planet. In this corner of the world, the cosmovision is embedded in everyday life. This is symbolised by the Andean people’s own official flag: the Wiphala.
Over the past two decades, the Wiphala has been recognised by most South American countries as an addition to each country’s official flag, representing indigenous communities and their cosmovision. This iconographic compass was originally created to relate each colour of the rainbow to the core elements and values within the cosmovision. Using double exposure, a colour of the Wiphala flag is given to each subject Oppizzi photographed. This process and the result allows Oppizzi to symbolically connect the audience to the Altiplano (the Highlands of the Andes).
Consuelo Oppizzi (Argentina) is a visual artist. She lives and works in Buenos Aires. Besides her work in the film and television industry, she also works on personal projects such as ‘Wiphala’.
