Born in Chile (1980), Mara Santibáñez is a visual artist and academic with a distinguished career in both fields. Since 2018, she has focused on contemporary landscape painting, redefining the concept of landscape as a construct influenced by social, cultural, and political dimensions. Through her works, she delves into the intricate web of power relations inherent in these spaces.
Her paintings defy traditional notions of landscape, portraying scenes that are frequently perceived as soulless, dismembered, or overlooked. Through her artistic practice, she illuminates locations that have been devastated or rendered insignificant, transforming them into vibrant landscapes that enrich the local imaginary.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a major in Painting and Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Chile. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Art at the Universidad de Playa Ancha.
Awards:
She has been a recipient of the Chilean Arts Fund (FONDART) on multiple occasions and has received several awards at both national and international levels. Notably, she won first place in the Samuel Román Visual Arts Award in 2022, and the International Award at the XX Santa Cruz Biennial in 2016.
Exhibitions:
She has exhibited her work in Chile and abroad in countless group exhibitions and a dozen individual exhibitions, including this last year ¿Are You Happy, King Midas?” and «Ruderal», both in Valparaíso. She has also been a curator of national and international projects, highlighting «Informe País» and the colloquium on drawing “The Thinking Eye”. Projects with the participation of artists and intellectuals from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Spain and Chile. She has participated in artistic residencies in Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.
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All profile photos were taken by the creative studio, La Cocinita.
Mara Santibáñez artigas 