Oscar Santillán

(Milagro, Ecuador – 1980)

His education began in the early 2000’s as a self-taught artist in his native Ecuador. Those formative times were deeply shaped by working within collective environments. Throughout the years those experiences have remained alive in his practice in the form of collaborations with scientists and other curious minds. In 2011 he obtained an MFA in Sculpture from VCU—Virginia Commonwealth University, in the US; and, consequent fellowships have allowed him to be an artist-in-residence at Skowhegan (US), Jan van Eyck (NL) Ratti Foundation (IT), Delfina Foundation (UK), and Leiden Astronomical Observatory (NL). More recently, he have been one of the igniters setting ‘órbitat’ in motion, a platform for the encounter of art, science, and technology in Latin America.

[esp]Chewing Gum Codex[/esp][eng]Chewing Gum Codex[/eng]

Chewing Gum Codex 2018-2020
Inflatable module with plants hosting astronaut Neil Armstrong´s DNA; and the process docuentation presented as texts projected on three circular screens. Installation view, Yokohama Triennale 2020: AFTERGLOW, Yokohama, JP (photos: Otsuka Keita)

[esp]13.0.0.0.0[/esp][eng]13.0.0.0.0[/eng]

13.0.0.0.0 2019
Solo exhibition view, Parque Galería, Mexico City, MX

[esp]PLANETARIUM[/esp][eng]PLANETARIUM[/eng]

PLANETARIUM 2018
Ceramics whose composition replicates the soil of the planet Venus, electronic telescope mount continuously following the same planet

[esp]FIRMAMENT (Venus)[/esp][eng]FIRMAMENT (Venus)[/eng]

FIRMAMENT (Venus) 2019
Ceramic whose composition replicates the soil of the planet Venus, 118 x 45 x 45 cm (46.46 x 17.72 x 17.72 in)

FIRMAMENT (Venus) 2019
Detail. Ceramic whose composition replicates the soil of the planet Venus, 118 x 45 x 45 cm (46.46 x 17.72 x 17.72 in)

[esp]CENOTE (the day when the world didn’t end)[/esp][eng]CENOTE (the day when the world didn’t end)[/eng]

CENOTE (the day when the world didn’t end) 2019
Found shoe, water, hidden mechanism, leaf, 13 x 30 x 9 cm (5.12 x 11.81 x 3.54 in)

[esp]Observatorio del observador[/esp][eng]Observer’s Observatory[/eng]

Observer’s Observatory 2019
Found stone head, water, electronic mechanism

Observer’s Observatory 2019
Detail. Found stone head, water, electronic mechanism

[esp]FIRMAMENT (Marte)[/esp][eng]FIRMAMENT (Mars)[/eng]

FIRMAMENT (Mars) 2019
Ceramics whose composition replicates the soil of the planet Mars, 60 x 40 x 30 cm (23.62 x 15.75 x 11.81 in)

FIRMAMENT (Mars) 2019
Detail. Ceramics whose composition replicates the soil of the planet Mars, 60 x 40 x 30 cm (23.62 x 15.75 x 11.81 in)

[esp]TEARS TELESCOPE[/esp][eng]TEARS TELESCOPE[/eng]

TEARS TELESCOPE 2019
Two tears used as a telescope. Video on customized screen and uv-print on glass held by a metal structure. 31 x 31 x 37 cm (12.20 x 12.20 x 14.57 in)

[esp]SPACECRAFTS (Venus)[/esp][eng]SPACECRAFTS (Venus)[/eng]

SPACECRAFTS (Venus) 2018
Ceramics made from clay which chemical composition perfectly replicates the surface soil of planet Venus

[esp]Historia de la Astronomía en Latinoamérica[/esp][eng]History of Latin American Astronomy[/eng]

History of Latin American Astronomy 2019
Bread and meteorites, 10 x 25 x 14 cm (3.94 x 9.84 x 5.51 in)

[esp]Carte du Ciel[/esp][eng]Carte du Ciel[/eng]

Carte du Ciel 2019
Found cloth fragment and held by nails made with meteorites

BLISTER 2019
Object. Found shoe, beetle, water, hidden mechanism

[esp]A THOUSAND YEARS OF NONLINEAR HISTORY[/esp][eng]A THOUSAND YEARS OF NONLINEAR HISTORY[/eng]

A THOUSAND YEARS OF NONLINEAR HISTORY 2019
Weaving made of yarn from each century of the past millennia. 270 x 120 cm (106.30 x 47.24 in)

[esp]ASTRONAUT CUT[/esp][eng]ASTRONAUT CUT[/eng]

ASTRONAUT CUT 2018
Performance recorded on video. 8:34 min, 4K, color, audio stereo

SPACECRAFTS (Venus) 2018
Ceramics made from clay which chemical composition perfectly replicates the surface soil of planet Venus

A THOUSAND YEARS OF NONLINEAR HISTORY 2018
Weaving made of yarn from each century of the past millennia. 100 x 65 cm (39.37 x 25.59 in)

[esp]HOW RIVERS THINK[/esp][eng]HOW RIVERS THINK[/eng]

HOW RIVERS THINK 2018
Water and plants from the Amazon gathered and sealed within 80 customized slides

LA NOCHE 2018
The relative force of all the moonlight across the surface of the Earth represented as a weight made from a lunar meteorite held in a customised metal case

[esp]CUERPO DE AGUA[/esp][eng]CUERPO DE AGUA[/eng]

CUERPO DE AGUA 2018
Two footsteps, each gathered at opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean. Sculpture. Sand. Work in coauthorship with artist Yoko Ono as part of her ‘Water Event’ series

Mácula 2017
Solo exhibition view, Curated by Amanda de la Garza. Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), Mexico City, MX

[esp]Enciclopedia Quemada[/esp][eng]Burnt Encyclopedia[/eng]

Burnt Encyclopedia 2016-2017
Burned clay

[esp]PHANTOM CAST[/esp][eng]PHANTOM CAST[/eng]

PHANTOM CAST 2017
Video (4:31 min, full HD, color, audio stereo) and phantom leg captured in a wooden box

SOLARIS 2017
A photographic lens made from sand of the Atacama Desert; and photographs produced by means of that lens when photographing the same desert

SOLARIS 2017
Detail. A photographic lens made from sand of the Atacama Desert; and photographs produced by means of that lens when photographing the same desert

BANEQUE 2016
A crystallized phantom island. Salt water crystals. 10 x 6 x 7 cm (3.94 x 2.36 x 2.75 in)

[esp]AFTERWORD[/esp][esp]AFTERWORD[/esp]

2014-2015
14 inkjet prints. 21.5 x 14 cm (8.46 x 5.51 in) each

2014-2015
Detail. 14 inkjet prints. 21.5 x 14 cm (8.46 x 5.51 in) each

A HYMN 2013
Drums synchronized to sweat. Performance recorded on video. 12:30 min, full HD, color, stereo sound

[esp]THE MANIFESTO OF GOODNESS[/esp][eng]THE MANIFESTO OF GOODNESS[/eng]

THE MANIFESTO OF GOODNESS 2012
Performance recorded on analog slides. Metal structure, wooden base, analog slide projector, twelve 35mm analog slides, glass screen