The images in the Antimundo series confront normative notions of the ‘natural,’ inherited from Western explorers, scientists, and especially Carl Linnaeus, whose Systema Naturae shaped modern assumptions about nature. His epic taxonomical studies classified Earth into three kingdoms: animal, vegetal, and mineral. Although at first glance some visual elements in the Antimundo series may seem somewhat recognizable, closer inspection reveals them as truly alien entities that defy Western frameworks. To “hack the old code,” these works draw on alternative epistemologies, including Andean cosmologies that acknowledge the “beingness” of all entities, including ecosystems like mountains. This broader outlook transcends modern hierarchies. This realization led the artist to embrace an “anti-taxonomy” of life, which lies at the core of the Antimundo series. To achieve this, Santillán merges the three classical taxonomic “kingdoms”—animal, vegetal, and mineral—in a radical way. The resulting forms feel truly ambiguous. This process is enabled through different digital strategies, which are subsequently translated into physical media such as oil painting, drawing, or sculpture. In this strategic manner, the Antimundo images are inscribed within those Western traditions but as a subversive narrative that participates in one of the most vital disputes of our time: What is nature?

The origin of modern taxonomy, the classificatory system envisioned by botanist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century.