ARTIST DAYRA BENAVIDES | AKNEYE

Dayra Benavides is an artist and artisan from San Juan de Pasto, Colombia, whose work reflects the vibrant spirit of the Andes. Through ritual outfits, masks and jewelry, she celebrates the cultural identity of southern Colombia and the iconic Blacks and Whites Carnival. As the first woman to win the Ritual Outfit category of the carnival multiple times with her family minga, Dayra has become a key figure in preserving the region’s ancestral craft. She’s also the founder of Joyas Blandas (“Soft Jewelry”), a brand rooted in the Andean worldview, creating wearable art for artists like Andrea Echeverri, Marta Gómez, Pascuala Ilabaca and Catalina García.

Her work spans sculpture, painting, costume design, fashion and dance and has been showcased internationally—from Venice’s Homo Faber Biennale to the Netflix adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude.