Survivors, Artists, and Healers: Collective Healings of Ecological and War-Related Wounds in the Colombian Amazon.

Abstract

Through painting and embroidery, victims/survivors of the armed conflict in southwest Colombia, primarily women, linked their pains, wounds, and sorrows left by the war with their hopes for a beautiful/joyful future in which they can live, once again, surrounded by family, friends, plants, animals, and rivers. Both the artistic process and the final installation,Casa Común(i.e. Communal House), promoted some respite and healing that was felt individually and collectively. Such healing was possible thanks to the emotional labor that these women have done for years to support one another, both inside and outside of formal and institutionalized spaces.