About us
Yo Soy Collective provides a platform for creatives from Latin America to break creative boundaries. Since 2018, Yo Soy has been centring Latin American creative voices and curating projects for artists to create, connect and celebrate culture.
Committed to values of courage, nourishment and experimentation, Yo Soy creates a space where ancestral magic intersects with contemporary cultural practice.
Ruby
Ruby-Rose Pivet-Marsh is a writer, producer and arts worker living and creating on unceded Wurundjeri land. Ruby is currently the Artistic Director and co-CEO of Emerging Writers’ Festival and is a co-founder of the Latinx arts collective, Yo Soy.
Jess
Jess Ibacache is an artist, writer, educator and arts worker living on Wurundjeri Country. She is passionate about supporting artists and communities to advocate for themselves, harness creative expression and tell their stories their way. Jess runs arts workshops through her small business So You Think You Can Paint? and is the co-founder of Yo Soy.
Ana Maria
Ana Maria Gomides is an Afro-Brasileira storyteller currently existing as a settler on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. Through a variety of mediums and genres, her work is both reflexive & reflective of experiences regarding race, migration, trauma, disability, queerness, etc. Mostly she writes about how awesome her ma is.
Natalie
Natalie Estay Valenzuela is a multimedia artist whose practice lies in dichotomous identity and preserving cultural memory. Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia to Chilean immigrants, Natalie’s Latina(x) identity inspires her to explore these themes through mark making, shape, colour, and contrasts.Her art is an eclectic collection of textiles, design, photography and paper works that have a handmade element and are constructed with a mindful approach.
Patty
Patty Abalos is an experienced arts worker and Yo Soy contributor, with a strong background in ecommerce and digital marketing. In 2021 Patty was a nominated for Best Volunteer at the GLOBE Community Awards, for her work at Melbourne Queer Film Festival. As a first-generation Australian, her Chilean roots are strong (as is her love for sopaipillas). She loves a meme and curating playlists, you'll find her covering socials for Yo Soy at our events.
Vanessa
Vanessa Giron is a Latinx freelance writer based in Naarm. She is a member of the West Writers Group with Footscray Community Arts Centre, contributor for Djed Press and critic for The Big Issue.