Zuly Sanguino, Limbless Artist

Visit to Colombia

Recently, Ripley’s own Edward Meyer  took a trip to Colombia. The highlights of his visit can be found in this travel diary , but the aspect of his journey that I was looking forward to had nothing to do with guinea pig races or two-headed mummies.

Before he left, we found a video of artist and motivational speaker Zuly Sanguino from Bogota, Colombia, and we knew we had to add her art to the Ripley’s collection.

Zuly Sanguino

Zuly was born with Tetra-Amelia Syndrome . It’s a very rare disorder that results in limbs not developing in the womb. It can also lead to other deformities and underdeveloped lungs. As you can imagine, being born without arms or legs resulted in a tough childhood for Zuly.

Growing up was hard, and I was bullied at school. I was called an alien, and it really hurt me.

She spent a lot of time unhappy, and even contemplated suicide from time to time, but her shining personality, her boundless spirit, and the love and support of family helped to see her through the tough times.

Now, Zuly is a successful motivational speaker. She uses her story to help inspire others to keep going even when it feels too hard.

I speak to children who are bullied, or have disabilities, to show them having physical or mental limitations doesn’t have to hold you back.

Her Art

In addition to inspiring others with her words, Zuly makes amazing art.

She’s had to learn to perform a lot of mundane tasks like brushing her teeth by holding her toothbrush in her mouth. But why stop at the toothbrush?

When she was 18, Zuly went to art college and learned how to paint by holding the paintbrush in her mouth.

You can find more about Zuly Sanguino on her Youtube channel and her Facebook Page . For now, here are some examples of her art which we’re happy to be able to add to the Ripley’s collection.