Bio
ARTS-BASED RESEARCH & PARTICIPATORY PRACTICES | SOUND • IMAGE • COMMUNITY
Jehisson Santacruz fuses art, science, and community through radical participation. Painter. Musician. Researcher. Performer. His practice bridges ancestry and contemporary inquiry—from performing in Marina Abramović's "Retrospective" at Kunsthaus Zürich to releasing tropical electronic beats with Papaya Tropical Music, supported by leading international labels and reaching more than 350K+ listeners globally.
PAPAYA TROPICAL MUSIC has has performed across Paris, London, Freiburg, Athens, Crete, Geneva, and Kosovo—blending tropical rhythms with experimental Afro-Latin soundscapes. His sculptural painting "4 Meditaciones Metafísicas" toured Italy and Switzerland (2021-26). His video performance "Cantos al Agua" was featured at the World Ethics Forum (2024).
His books explore singing and dancing as tools for collective healing; his research articles examine arts-science methodologies in participatory action research. Santacruz's practice asks: What emerges when art becomes research? When community becomes method? When sound becomes territory? How do we sing, paint, and dance our way into collective futures?
​
Honored by the United Nations and Colombian Embassy, University of Geneva (2023).
​​​​​
Education
2023 - Master in "Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts". ZHdK
University of the Arts Zürich, Switzerland.
​
2018 - Professional in "Philosophy and Literature"
La Salle University, Colombia.
​​​
2007 - 2009 - Master in Directing for the Performing Arts.
ASAB . Bogotá. Colombia.
​
2003 - 2004 - Music and composition. Bellas Artes. Cali. Colombia.
2004 - 2007 . Zootechnis. UNAL. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Palmira. Colombia.
​
​
​​​​​​​​
Recent Showcases & Collaborations
Marina Abramović "Restrospective" Exhibition. Kunsthaus Zürich. 2024 - 2025
As a performer, I took part in "cleaning the house" with the Marina Abramovic Institute
and in the 6-month exhibition at the Kunst Haus Zürich.
​​​
Collective Exposition "Del Barrio Pal Mundo" AtelierTramway Freiburg Swiss. 2025
​
World Ethic Forum: "Cantos al Agua y Otros Seres"
2024 - Pontresina. Swiss. Performance- Installation.​​
Atelier: "Drops of an Ocean: Stories Become Chants"
in Collaboration with the textile artist Phd, Sonja Schenkel. 30 Aug - 1 Sep 2024
​​
​
Heart Beats - Swiss Tour - Artwork: "4 Meditaciones Metafísicas".
​​
2026 - Gonten. Switzerland
2025 - Appenzell. Switzerland
2025 - Andermatt. Switzerland
2025 - Davos. Switzerland
2025 - Lugano. Switzerland
2025 - Andermatt. Switzerland.
2025 - Kongresshaus. Switzerland.
2025 - Basel, Münsterplatz. Switzerland.
2024 - Milano, Legnago. Italy.
2024 - Trento. Italy.
2023 - Lugano. Via Nassa. Switzerland.
2023 - Luzern. Kurplatz. Switzerland.
2022 - Ascona. Lungo Lago. Switzerland.
2022 - Einsiedeln. Kloster Hauptplatz. Switzerland.
2022 - Rapperswil. Fischmarktplatz. Switzerland.
2021 - Zürich. Hauptbahnhof. Switzerland.
2021 - Bern. Bundeshaus. Switzerland.
​
​
The loneliness of 100 years of armed conflict in Colombia".
​
2023 - The loneliness of 100 years of armed conflict in Colombia.
10 -15 Abril 2023 Aktionsraum ZhdK. Zúrich. Suiza.
2023 - EXPO Pedagogías Comunitarias. Pole Sûd. Mar 2023.
2022 - Bern. Didactic concert “Desde los Montes de Maria”. Ago 2022
2022 - Zürich. Didactic concert “Desde los Montes de Maria”. Feb 2022
2021- Zürich. Didactic concert “Desde los Montes de Maria”. Sep 2021
​​
​
Collaborations​
​
Performance ritual "The Black Wall"​ for the Ishita Chakraborty. Installation:
''Exotic Plants in the Garden- What to Do?. Kunsthaus Zürich. Apropos Hodler. 2024
​
​
Music Composition
​​
Papaya Tropical - Musician, Producer and Artistical Direction FR
​
Zapapaya - "Dounya" (Gaita Composition) FR
​
Zapapaya - Carnalito - "Taína" (Gaita Composition) FR
​
Pao Barreto -" Te pedí" (Gaita Composition) FR​
​
Rita Clara - "Good Sauce" (Gaita Composition) FR
​​​​​
​
​
Music Tours​​​​
​
2025. Rome (Italy). Balagan Club
2025. Freiburg (Switzerland). Le Douze Club.
2025. Paris (France). Fête de la Musique.
2025. Crete (Greece). Techno Greece.
2025. Greece (Athens). Boo Club.
2023. Kosovo (Pejë) - Anibar Festival
2023. France (Bourdeaux) - Le Bourbon Club
2023. UK (London) - Private Event VIP.
2023. Switzerland (Zúrich) - Kraftwerk.
2023. Switzerland (Winterthur) - Joe Club.
2023. France (Paris) - Paris plages.
2023. Switzerland (Zúrich) - Tribal Nights, Kraftwerk.
2022. Switzerland (Geneva) - Festival La Ville est à Vous.
2022. Switzerland (Zürich) - Alta Cumbia Fest.
2021. France (Paris) - Studio 54.
2020. France (Paris) - La Rueda de Paris.
2019. Switzerland (Lausanne) - Pôle Sud.
2005. Colombia (Cali) - Plaza de Toros.
2005. Colombia (Cali) - Panzer Crush.
2005. Colombia (Cali) - Tropical Cocktails.
2004. Colombia (Palmira) - Planetarium.
2004. Colombia (Palmira) - Camelot. ​​
​
​​
​
Marina Abramović Exhibition - Press
https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/marina-abramovic-riskiert-ihr-leben-fuer-die-kunst-824382191315
https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/abramovi-im-kunsthaus-nackte-gesucht-fuer-28-fr-pro-stunde-208267382373
​
​
​
​
​
​​​
​
​
Heart Beats Swiss Tour - Press
​
https://www.heartbeats-tour.com/projects-8?pgid=l2ekdgst-d4a12cc0-a6a0-4ed8-aa68-8f2888d97c83
​
Lugano
https://www.rsi.ch/news/ticino-e-grigioni-e-insubria/Uninvasione-di-cuori-in-via-Nassa-16492405.html
​
Ascona
https://www.rsi.ch/play/tv/redirect/detail/15598606
​
Luzern
​​
​
​
Publications
​​​
2025. Ver une culture de la santè. The Library for a Happy Future.
L'eauquicoule_Web.pdfdrive.google.com
​
2025. Sentipensar con la tierra. The Library for a Happy Future. - view
​
2023. The Art of Communities Pedagogies as an emancipation and resilience of people: Approaches to an Indigenous Futurism. ZHDK.
​
2018. Hacia una ciudadanía comprendida como inmunología general. Editorial Académica Española. Universidad de La Salle.
​
​
​Movetia.ch - Sentipensar Methodologies
https://www.movetia.ch/praxis-wissen/praxis/jugendaustausch-mit-non-formalen-lernmethoden
​
​
Selected Work
 Anibar Festival - Pejä |  The loneliness of 100 years of armed conflict in Colombia |  KUNSTBULLETIN"Retrospektive" Marina Abramović Exhibition. Kunsthaus Zürich. 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
 Collaboration with the Indian artist Ishita Chakraborty. Installation "Exotic Plants in the Garden- |  Indio Migrante |  The technical rebellion of nobodies |
 4 metaphysische Meditationen Projekt _Heart Beats_ - Swiss Tour Zirkus Knie 2021-_edite |  Mi amigo árbol |  Cinema under the stars - Sucre |
 Tamborero y Secreto. 2024 |  Pejä, Kosovo - Concert Papaya Tropical |  The Art of the Community Pedagogies. Jehisson Santacruz. 2023. ED ZHDK |
 Más Amor |  Never Been Afraid- Short Film. 2023 |  Andes - Alpes |
 Exilio. 2021 |  The prophecies of Wind. Video Installation. 2022 |  Video Installation. The technical revelation of the nobodies. 2023 |
 The Black Wall. Collaboration with the Indian artist Ishita Chakraborty. Installation "Exotic Plants |  el silencio de los pueblos |  Expo Community Pedagogies. 2023 ZHDK |
 Video Installation. Disformance. 2021 |  Heart Beats - Swiss Tour. Lugano 2023 |  Kuisi Gaita - Montes de MarÃa. 2018 |
 Orchestre du Lac. |  Pejä, Kosovo - Papaya Tropical Concert. 2023 |  Video Art. Sin nombre. 2021 |
 dance with me |  Educational Concert - Kuisi Gaita / Cartagena University. 2018 |  RETOMA DEL PALACIO. Video Installation. 2024 |
santacruzjehisson@gmail.com
www.santacruzjehisson.com