The Tumbao Podcast

Que viva la amistad

Hosted by Valentina Pozo, founder of Tumbao—New York’s home to the world’s largest archive of Latin American fashion—this is the first bilingual insider podcast dedicated to the people shaping Latin American fashion and identity from the inside out. Each episode opens the door to the artists, designers, and cultural workers; from upcyclers in the Dominican Republic turning U.S. waste into political textile statements, to gallery founders navigating the independent art scene, to diasporic reflections on the relationship many have with Latinidad after leaving home. Like the archive itself, the conversations are textured, personal, and full of contradictions. tumbao.substack.com

Episodes

  1. 12/18/2025

    Desplazamiento y Pertenencia a Través Del Arte - Cassandra Mayela Allen | Tumbao Podcast

    English:"Cassandra Mayela Allen is a Venezuelan multidisciplinary artist whose work turns migration, memory, and healing into tactile form. Born in Caracas and raised between the island of Margarita and the Venezuelan mountains, her practice grew out of improvisation—making do, adapting, creating beauty with what’s available.When the political and economic collapse forced her to leave Venezuela, Cassandra arrived in New York, rebuilding her life from scratch. What began as survival slowly became a language of care and connection. Through fabric, thread, and ritual, she found ways to process what displacement feels like—both for herself and for others.Her participatory projects, like Mapas de Desplazamiento and the Braiding Ceremonies, invite migrants to weave, stitch, and revisit their own stories. They’re acts of collective reflection, where art becomes a bridge between grief and belonging.In this episode, we talk about creating when home no longer feels like a place, about finding freedom in process over perfection, and about how Cassandra transforms improvisation into a philosophy of life. We also explore migration as inheritance, the politics of visibility, and what it means to build community through making.You can find Cassandra’s work here:@cassandramayelallen"Español:"Cassandra Mayela Allen es una artista multidisciplinaria venezolana que convierte la migración, la memoria y la sanación en forma táctil. Nacida en Caracas y criada entre la isla de Margarita y las montañas venezolanas, su práctica nace de la improvisación: resolver, adaptarse y crear belleza con lo que hay.Cuando el colapso político y económico la obligó a dejar Venezuela, Cassandra llegó a Nueva York a reconstruir su vida desde cero. Lo que comenzó como supervivencia se transformó lentamente en un lenguaje de cuidado y conexión. A través de la tela, el hilo y el ritual, encontró maneras de procesar lo que significa el desplazamiento —para ella y para quienes lo viven.Sus proyectos participativos, como Mapas de Desplazamiento y las Ceremonias de Trenzado, invitan a personas migrantes a tejer, unir y revisitar sus propias historias. Son actos de reflexión colectiva, donde el arte se convierte en un puente entre el duelo y el sentido de pertenencia.En este episodio hablamos de crear cuando el hogar deja de ser un lugar, de encontrar libertad en el proceso más que en la perfección, y de cómo Cassandra transforma la improvisación en una filosofía de vida. También exploramos la migración como herencia, la política de la visibilidad y lo que significa construir comunidad a través del acto de hacer.Puedes encontrar el trabajo de Cassandra aquí:@cassandramayelallen" This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tumbao.substack.com

    1h 20m
  2. 11/12/2025

    Reventando la burbuja de París - Claudia Rivera | Tumbao Podcast

    INGLÉS: Claudia Rivera is a Franco-Peruvian creator based in Paris whose work lives at the intersection of art, fashion, and community. Through projects like Ñañaykuna and her production agency Amaru, Claudia weaves storytelling, performance, and collaboration to explore what modern Latinidad can look and feel like far from home. Her world is one of beauty and resistance — from styling and photography to viral TikToks and documentaries, everything she creates carries the pulse of migration, sisterhood, and joy. She celebrates the aesthetics of her roots while building a space for diasporic voices to be seen with power and tenderness. In this episode, we talk about movement — both physical and emotional. About what it means to belong in different places at once, and how to honor our heritage as something that keeps evolving with us. We also talk about the internet as a space of visibility, the politics of self-representation, and how Claudia turns nostalgia into creation. You can find Claudia’s work here: @crocoqueen @lonuestro.paris @amaruagency ESPAÑOL: Claudia Rivera es una creadora franco-peruana radicada en París cuyo trabajo habita entre el arte, la moda y la comunidad. A través de proyectos como Ñañaykuna y su agencia de producción Amaru, Claudia entrelaza narrativa, performance y colaboración para explorar cómo puede sentirse y verse la latinidad contemporánea lejos de casa. Su universo es de belleza y resistencia: desde el styling y la fotografía hasta los documentales y los reels que se han vuelto virales, todo lo que crea refleja experiencias de migración, de vínculos y de celebración. Honra sus raíces mientras construye espacios donde las voces diaspóricas puedan verse con fuerza y ternura. En este episodio hablamos sobre el movimiento —tanto físico como emocional—, sobre lo que significa pertenecer a varios lugares a la vez y sobre cómo honrar nuestra herencia como algo que sigue evolucionando con nosotras. También conversamos sobre el internet como espacio de visibilidad, la política de la autorrepresentación y la forma en que Claudia convierte la nostalgia en creación. Pueden encontrar su trabajo aquí: @crocoqueen @lonuestro.paris @amaruagency This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tumbao.substack.com

    1h 10m
  3. 10/09/2025

    Carlos Nuñez y su Galería Subterránea - Arte No Institucional | Tumbao Podcast

    DESCRIPTION Carlos Nuñez is a Venezuelan artist and educator based in New York City. His work explores how power moves—how it hides in plain sight, how it shapes our lives, and how it’s woven into the objects and histories around us. Through photography, installation, and his curatorial projects, Carlos builds speculative narratives that reveal both the weight of the past and the possibilities of the future. His journey began in Caracas, was interrupted by political turmoil, and eventually carried him to Atlanta and then New York. Along the way, he learned in archives and museums before creating his own space: Mimo, a gallery in the basement of his Bushwick home. Mimo has quickly become a gathering place for emerging artists, a site where rigor meets experimentation, and where art is as much about care and community as it is about objects on the wall. In this episode, we talk about what it means to create outside of institutions, about the responsibility of holding space for others, and about how art can expand empathy. We also talk about growing up in Venezuela, the challenges of diaspora, and the simple but radical act of making art without needing to explain it. You can find Carlos’s work and follow Mimo here: https://www.instagram.com/mimo.mimo.mimo.mimo.mimo/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tumbao.substack.com

    43 min
5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Hosted by Valentina Pozo, founder of Tumbao—New York’s home to the world’s largest archive of Latin American fashion—this is the first bilingual insider podcast dedicated to the people shaping Latin American fashion and identity from the inside out. Each episode opens the door to the artists, designers, and cultural workers; from upcyclers in the Dominican Republic turning U.S. waste into political textile statements, to gallery founders navigating the independent art scene, to diasporic reflections on the relationship many have with Latinidad after leaving home. Like the archive itself, the conversations are textured, personal, and full of contradictions. tumbao.substack.com