GATAFIERA
album release artwork for “SUDACA ATACA”
concept: GATAFIERA, Isabella Hewlett
photography & edit: Isabella Hewlett
styling & make up: José Castellano
set design: Isabella Hewlett
When I was invited to collaborate with GATAFIERA, a queer & trans duo from Peru and Brazil, I knew this would be more than just a photo project. Their first album release is grounded in three archetypes of decolonisation: las profesoras, las putas, las brujas, each representing a different dimension of liberation. My task was to translate these concepts into images that could both stand alone and resonate with the themes in their music.
To prepare, I immersed myself in research on the histories of Peru and Brazil: their colonial pasts, Indigenous traditions, Afro-diasporic resistance, and the long-suppressed presence of trans and
non-binary identities. I was struck by the way figures such as the quariwarmi in Andean culture or the travesti communities in Brazil embodied roles of wisdom, spirituality, and resilience before colonial structures violently enforced binary norms. I also explored the historical relationship between Peru and Brazil, nations bound by borders, cultural exchange, and shared struggles against colonial legacies, a context that sharpened my understanding of the duo’s collaborative dynamic.
All of this came to life across two intensive days of creation in my flat in Vienna.
At the time I didn’t have a studio space, but in truth, renting one didn’t feel right for this collaboration. We needed an intimate, lived-in environment, a place where the atmosphere was relaxed, free of studio pressures and time limits, so the work could flow naturally. Central to my practice is creating spaces where people feel safe, seen, and empowered to unfold their true selves, and my home provided exactly that.
Choosing my flat as the space wasn’t only about intimacy, it also reflected a reality that marginalised artists often face: limited access to funding and infrastructure. For me, this became a reminder of the core of my practice: you don’t need expensive studios or elaborate equipment to create powerful images. If you view your surroundings through the lens of potential, anything can transform into a tool or a prop. At one point, the balcony curtains became a striking backdrop for Las Putas (though not in the final edit), a reminder that resourcefulness and imagination are themselves acts of resistance.
From that foundation, the three looks took shape.
Las Profesoras
I drew inspiration from office-core aesthetics, the iconic “Alligator Bites Never Heal” album cover for Doechii by John Jay, and the idea of educators as disruptors. With custom looks created by GATAFIERA’s very own José Castellano, burnt and ripped office wear, we reimagined the teacher not as a gatekeeper of knowledge, but as someone ready to burn down oppressive structures while guiding us towards uncomfortable but necessary truths.
Las Putas
After conversations with GATAFIERA and careful consideration of the styling, we leaned into 90s and early 2000s pop and magazine covers, the kind of glossy, hyper-feminised imagery we grew up consuming. By queering this visual language and centring GATAFIERA, we created the representation that had been missing for us: trans cover stars we would have longed to see in our youth, unapologetically visible and celebrated.
Las Brujas
For the final look, we embraced gothic textures and witchcraft aesthetics, combining contemporary styling with historical references to the brujas, healers, and mystics persecuted under colonial rule. Against a deep red backdrop, GATAFIERA’s mirrored movements and dramatic poses channelled ritual, resistance, and collective power, embodying dance and movement as tools of liberation, grounded in ancestral strength.
What moved me most throughout this process was the space we created together.
Working with and for my queer community is both joyful and deeply healing, especially in a moment where visibility, safety, and solidarity feel more urgent than ever. This series is not only about GATAFIERA’s music, but also about our shared desire to reimagine what queer and trans Latinx representation can look like: fierce, celebratory, political, and unafraid.