About
Ximena Velasco (1967) – Santiago, Chile.
Universidad Católica, School of Art, degree in painting, 1987-1993.
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Universidad de Chile, School of Architecture, 1987.
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Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, 1985-1986.
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Recent solo exhibitions
Deshielo, Sala Gasco, (2021), La Naturaleza de Las Cosas, Galeria La Sala, (2019), Morfologías, Espacio O (2018), Médula, Galería XS (2015), Mutaciones, Sala Gasco, (2013), Metamorfosis, Galeria Isabel Aninat, (2011), Santiago, Chile.
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Some group exhibitions
London Art Biennial, London (2021), Revelations, Grand Palais, Paris (2019), Camden Arts Centre, London (2015), Chilean Embassy, Washington D.C. (2005)
Residencies
Vermont Studio Residency, Vermont, (2018), Slade School of Arts, London, (2015), Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venezia, (2013), School of Visual Arts, New York, (2011).
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Grants
Fondart (Chilean State Grant) in 1999 and 2011, and a Vermont Studio Center Merit Grant. (2018)
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Her work has been exhibited in Chile, Italy, France, the U.S, and the U.K.
Personal Statement
My art practice is rooted in abstraction in a way that is directly related to my interest in natural phenomena. I conceive nature as a geometrical model and translate it into a personal code linked in some ways to fractal geometry. The manner certain constructions and patterns such as botanical structures and systems of blood vessels echo each other on such different scales intrigues me and serves as a source of inspiration. You could say my work is a mix of biology and botany, the intersections between micro and macro, as well as interconnections between the visible and invisible. I am interested in these observed elements and their permanent coincidences with the shapes and structures of our own bodies.
I compose my paintings and drawings in an obsessive way that mimics natural processes. Recently I have incorporated fragmented constructions that reveal my interest in architecture and geometric abstraction.
My latest solo exhibition (2021) entitled Thaw is related to climate change and its effects on a mutating landscape. It consists of a series of large-scale works that emerge from graphic interpretations of melting glaciers and permafrost, and a series of smaller scaled pieces on paper that reveal my process of investigation.