Karla Kopalli (Saenz)

Visual interpreter and biocultural heritage practitioner. Her methodology combines regenerative design strategies with public art to encourage community participation in identifying leverage points in a system to promote social change. Her Raramuri and Japanese ancestry guide Karla’s cosmovision and are deeply informed by other Indigenous communities in Mexico. Her work weaves ancestral wisdom with contemporary science through biomimicry principles to advance environmental justice, women’s rights, land stewardship, and climate resilience.

Karla is the founder of Kopalli Arte Público, a nonprofit organization based in Mexico, where she shaped its mission and long-term vision to advance sustainable development through public art and participatory design. She led large-scale initiatives ranging from a Biocultural Heritage Corn project in rural communities to a national Culture for Peace and Violence Prevention strategy developed for the National Security Commission.

With more than a decade of experience as a university professor, she has designed and taught courses in biomimicry and sustainability. Her art has engaged communities in Australia, Mexico, and the United States, hosted by prestigious institutions including the Melbourne City Council, the National Center of the Arts of Mexico (CENART), the Smithsonian Latino Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Witte Museum.