PINK

Chilean Flamingo

This bird became a favourite of mine while I was still in primary school. I used to associate flamingos with exotic places—holiday destinations, cocktails, Caribbean beaches, and swimming pools in American resorts—so it was a real shock to learn that Chile has its own species, and that seeing them was far more doable than I’d imagined.

The Phoenicopterus chilensis, or Chilean flamingo, is related to the American and greater flamingo species, but because of its colour and behaviour, it has been classified as its own species. They live in the north of Chile, particularly in salt lakes, and, as I learned as a child, they’re quite famous around the world: ‘The first flamingo kept in captivity in Europe was a Chilean flamingo, and in the United States, one named “Pink Floyd” became famous for escaping a zoo in Salt Lake City and migrating between Utah, Idaho, and Montana from 1988 to 2005’.

I suppose it’s a Chilean thing—to feel proud when Chileans become known abroad. You can see it in how people talk about Leonor Varela, the guy from Lost, or, more recently, Pedro Pascal. For me, as a child, it was the simple fact that we have flamingos in Chile.

Flamingos also caught my attention because they seemed so badass. Their colour comes from what they eat, which, in my head back then, felt like a choice—as if they could be green, blue, or red, but deliberately chose the gayest option: pink. Their yellow eyes made them look tough, sometimes even a bit menacing. They were flamboyant and unapologetic, or at least that’s how I saw them, at a time when I wasn’t quite allowing myself that same freedom.

I’ve seen them in real life—though in captivity—and I’ve always liked them. So it felt only natural to make art inspired by them.

Dimensions: 25×25 CM