Tomás Araya (Aratti) (he/him) is a multimedia artist whose work centers around indigenous storytelling, cultural reclaiming and environmental awareness. Making artwork that praises nature in a powerful way, to remind people of the connection to our environment has always been his goal as an artist. Tomas’s main artwork consists of murals, traditional watercolor, acrylic, ink/pencil paintings as well as digital illustrations.
Enrolled in the Diaguita Nation of the Andes mountains, he grew up in the city of Arica, Chile, with close ties to the indigenous cultures of the Andean people of South America. The Diaguita, Aymara, Quechua, Inca, Mapuche nations and many others that still fight to preserve their ways of life were the foundation of Tomas’s formative years. After graduating from architecture school in Valparaiso, he travelled to the United States with the goal of becoming a full time artist.
Based in the Twin Cities since 2019, he’s been part of several public art projects such as murals, sculptures, community workshops and public art classes at the Dakota County libraries amongst other places around the Twin Cities. As a teaching artist he promotes the idea that when you believe in something, you create it. This mindset enables us to empower our creative freedom and grow into conscious relatives in ways that nurture our community positively.
Find him on Instagram @aratti.artworks