Las Iluminastas

Founded in 2020 by feminist activists Tallulah Lines (a visual artist) and Alicia Salgado (a psychologist and organizer), Las Iluministas emerged in Mexico as an artistic response to the country’s alarming femicide crisis​. The initiative’s name, meaning “The Enlightened Ones,” reflects its mission to shine light on gender-based violence, educating the public on the severity of the issue, and honor victims of femicide in dignified ways, through art and action.

Las Iluministas began when, in 2020, Lines and Salgado invited women artists across Mexico to share their art and document their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, when domestic violence rates surged and street protests became difficult​— both, respectively, due to lockdown mandates. The submissions were curated into an online gallery of feminist art, featuring illustrations, photography, and comics that explore themes of survival, self-care, and resistance amid lockdown​. The project culminated in a downloadable coloring book of the artworks, creating an outlet for creativity and catharsis for women and survivors of gender-based violence facing situations of extreme stress.