Ishír: Painting,
so as not to forget
Painting workshop with Salmi Balbuena
Painting to keep the memory alive
For the Ishir people, painting is far more than artistic expression: it is a way to preserve stories, traditions, myths and spiritual knowledge, to protect them from being forgotten and at the same time to share them with other people.
In this special painting workshop, the indigenous artist Salmi Balbuena offers insights into the visual world and painting traditions of her people. Together with her, participants explore motifs shaped by the culture, spirituality, myths, legends, and collective memory of the Ishir people, and put their own interpretations on paper.
Salmi Balbuena comes from a family of artists and is the only female painter in her community. On her path as an artist, she has had to overcome numerous social and personal obstacles. This makes her work all the more significant: through her paintings, she preserves and shares the cultural heritage of her people and carries it beyond the borders of her community. Her works will also be presented at the Weltmuseum Wien in 2026.
The workshop therefore does not just teach an artistic technique. It invites participants to encounter a vibrant indigenous culture and shows how art can become a vehicle for memory, identity and traditional knowledge – and a bridge between past, present and different cultures.
%20(2).jpg)
September 17–18, 2026
Thursday, 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
Friday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Location: BasementArt by LichtTraum
Währinger Gürtel 110, 1090 Vienna
Participation fee: €35
Materials are included in the price.
Language: Spanish
Consecutive translation is possible.