Threads of Rebellion

Thread of Rebellion is a photographic series examining how embroidery, historically associated with domestic labor and submission, has become a medium of autonomy and cultural preservation among indigenous women in Ecuador.

Thread of Rebellion is a photographic series exploring the intersection of gender, tradition, and collective empowerment among indigenous women in Ecuador. Centered on a community of artisans in the Andean highlands, the project examines how embroidery, historically associated with domestic labor and submission, has become a medium of autonomy and cultural preservation.

Through intimate portraits, tactile stills, and scenes of rituals, the work traces a quiet revolution. The women transform the inherited act of stitching into a form of self-determination. The gatherings of Mujeres Unidas embody resilience, where ancestral knowledge and a spiritual connection to Pachamama coexist with the realities of contemporary womanhood.

Having been born and raised in Ecuador, this project is also a return for me, a way of honoring the communities that shaped my early understanding of strength, humility, and belonging. By representing the women and traditions I grew up around, I aim to give visibility to their creativity and resilience, while acknowledging how their work continues to influence my own identity and artistic voice.

In a time when humanity drifts further from the natural world and from one another, their collective becomes a living reminder of the importance of community and care. Through this visual ode, I hope to honor the act of creating together, in person, through touch, voice, and shared intention. Safeguarding our fading connection to the land and to our own humanity.

The visual narrative unfolds between the visible and the unseen; between hands, fabric, and landscape - inviting the viewer to sense the strength that dwells in tenderness. Portraying these women not as subjects of struggle but as agents of continuity. Thread of Rebellion reflects on how women create spaces of freedom through art, ritual, and collective love, stitching fragments of memory and resistance into the living cloth of Ecuador’s cultural identity.