Chie Bchusqua
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Mixed media
2015 
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From a sacred substance to a substance abuse, the coca leaf in Latin America, especially in Colombia, has gone from being an important part of Amerindian culture to becoming an icon associated with cocaine and the war on drugs. As a medicinal and ritualistic plant the coca leaf has been used by our people for over 8000 years; as a commercial commodity it has been used by many societies (such as an ingredient in Coca-Cola ®) for just a little over 100 years; and as an illegal distilled substance known as cocaine the coca leaf has been extracted and consumed by dominant societies for merely the past 40 years.
Connecting ceramic material culture and architectural space to the coca plant, Chie Bchusqua aims to bring into consideration the consumption and commercialization of the plant, while presenting the audience with its original use, the unapologetic act of chewing coca leaves. | ||
