The NoBo Art District is pleased to announce we have a new mural coming to the NoBo Art District zone on North Broadway.
Artist: Onecho aka Juan Usubillaga
Location: 4483 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304
Installation: October 2nd – October 13th 2023
Puma/Amaru
The design is inspired by the Andean-Amazónic cosmovisión. Animals are symbols of our reality and are considered to bring a defined type of energy that aligns with different layers of the world. For this design I bring only two of the four animals of Qhapaq ñan. They represent paths that lead to a unity or center. In the design the two animals are represented with abstraction, the most obvious one is the image of the tiger which in Quechua big cats are called Pumas and the background and less obvious is a pattern that represents the skin of the serpent or Amaru in Quechua. The Puma represents the physical universe and our space time ,the present moment which is called Kay Pacha, also the Puma Carries the medicine of strength and vitality and the path of the warriors and resistance.
The snake pattern represents the serpent animal and symbolizes the path of the traditional medicines and plants, it is called the Ukhu Pacha, the path of the spirits, the dreams, and subconscious, related to the forest and mysteries of the night. Also represents ancestral wisdom and the past.
I think it is important to show artwork that brings ancestral values to our Community .We all can appreciate and be inspired or find resonance within us. The serpent ,Ukhu Pacha, comes to remind us of our roots, our inner world and our ancestry, it leads us down to our connection to mother earth. The Puma, Kay Pacha points to our present moment and encourages us to be present and maintain strength in our bodies, hearts and minds,To align ourselves and our Community for balance or healing to maintain connection and reciprocity to the earth and elements of life.
In the Andean Amazonian cosmovision the understanding of interrelationship of all living and elements of the universe are in constant movement for balance in complementarity. Humans are not the center but a part of the whole , the earth and the cosmos are the center.
About Onecho
I am a mestizo artist. My ancestors were indegenous and European. I wasborn In Colombia and raised in Venezuela where the majority of thepeople are of mixed ethnicity. I became interested in art as a child because I loved wandering the streets of Caracas looking at the street art and the graffiti.
I could literally see and hear the roots of the diverseancient cultures in art, music, food and politics. I went to University tostudy Fine Arts at the University of Los Andes and discovered more aboutthe art in the Americas (Abya Ayala: name that the Inca civilization calledthe territory from Patagonia to Alaska ) and the European traditions. Ihave a passion to create and share the beauty through my art practice,enveloping my western art style education within my Mestizo heritage.
I have collaborated with local galleries in Boulder and Denver andparticipate and lead some mural projects in the area. I have exhibited my work locally, nationally and internationally , currently focusing myartistic practice in Colorado mostly. I came to the United States 17 years ago, married and had my son (Rohan)who is now 16 years old and lives with myself and my partner. I am very grateful for this land and its original and current caretakers forthe lessons offered and opportunities to grow and learn.
This project is funded in part by the City of Boulder Office of Arts & Culture. We’d like to thank them, the Boulder Arts Commission and Boulder City Council for the for the support. We would also like to thank Emerald Properties for providing the wall.
