About the Artist
Alx Espinosa is a Colombian American beader, writer, astrologer, and fiber artist of Kichwa and Mhuysqa ancestry. Her work is part of an intentional process of cultural remembrance and reclamation as a member of the Indigenous diaspora. She holds a deep passion for history and for decolonizing all aspects of life, from how we create and adorn our bodies to how we relate to the land and one another. Through her work, she explores how ancestral knowledge lives on through creative and spiritual practice.
Alx grew up in southern Appalachia on the ancestral homelands of the Mvdkoke people. Travel and time spent in the desert Southwest, the coastal low country, and the Andes and Amazon regions of South America have deepened her understanding of the diversity of nature and the many ways place informs art and cultural memory.
Just Alx began as a personal practice of reconnecting with this cultural memory through creativity and has grown into a multidisciplinary collection of offerings rooted in Indigenous futurism. Alx carefully and intentionally handcrafts all her jewelry, crochet apparel, and other art offerings. Alongside the visual work, she offers astrology services, including custom birth charts, readings, and birth chart consultations.
Values
Ancestry & Cultural Responsibility
My work is guided by reverence for my ancestors and respect for Indigenous knowledge systems that have endured despite colonization and displacement. I approach cultural symbols and inherited techniques with care, accountability, and ongoing study, understanding this work as both living and relational.
Environmental Impact & Ethical Sourcing
I prioritize low environmental impact in how my work is made and shared. Shipping materials are compostable whenever possible. When sourcing beads and art supplies, I prioritize Native owned businesses whenever possible. Supporting Indigenous makers and suppliers is part of my commitment to reciprocity and community connection. All jewelry, crochet apparel, and art are made by hand in small batches, as a commitment to slow creation. I value process over mass production.
Indigenous Futurism & Social Justice
My practice is guided by Indigenous futurism, or the belief that more just and expansive futures for Indigenous people are shaped through prioritizing the voices and sovereignty of living Natives through intentional action and imagination. Creativity is at the forefront of this movement. Art, bodily adornment, writing, and spiritual practice are tools for remembering, resisting erasure of our histories and cultural identities, and envisioning what is possible. It is how we keep our communities alive and create more ethical and just futures for us and all who share the land with us.
This work is rooted in a relationship to land. I acknowledge southern Appalachia as the ancestral homeland of the Mvskoke (Mvdkoke) people and honor their enduring presence and stewardship of the land. I carry this awareness with gratitude and respect in how I create and share my work.
