Estefanía Santiago

Drawing the negative of the ombú tree is derived from an artistic study called “El sueño se convertirá en barro” (2020), and from a line of thought and poetic activity that investigates the construction of an affective archive with imaginaries from the present, based on the review of colonial ties between Argentina and Spain. For her residence, the artist will return to elements and concepts that emerged from the previous process in order to delve more deeply into a poetic triangulation: the search for ombús in Spain: the first ombú in Seville, introduced by Christopher Columbus’ son; the possible shoot from that ombú in Madrid; and the tree that was not yet planted. The project has great procedural character and will be developed using document / fiction writing, video, collective actions and a performative presentation that will formalize this research process. It appeals to a decolonial proposition that builds a narrative that breaks with the colonial representation regime, hybridizing artistic practice with mediation and prioritising the exchange of knowledge. According to the creator, it is about “revisiting the past from a critical and political perspective and asking ourselves about the present and the future yet to come”.

BIO
Estefanía Santiago (Argentina) is an artist of hybrid practices and constructs her poetic investigations through interventions in the public sphere and the connection with other agents. She uses installation, mediation, image and text as her primary tools. She holds a degree in and is a professor of audiovisual communication (National University of La Plata), has a master’s degree in documentary and artistic photography (talent grant, TAI -URJC, Spain), and a master’s in artistic professions (Acciona Grant, Escuela Sur - UC3, Spain). She obtained the individual arts and education grant from the Fundació Miró Mallorca (2021), the Argentine Ministry of Culture Activar Patrimonio (2020) and the National Fund of the Arts (2014); and the PAR (2019) and Fondo Nacional de las Artes (2019 - 2021) grants with the MUCA collective. She participated in the residencies NidoErrante, Encontro de Artistas Novos, Residencia Cantera-Tabacalera, El Cortijo, and Ababol, among others. Her work has been part of numerous solo shows, collective exhibitions, festivals and congresses in countries such as Argentina, Mexico, Spain, France, Denmark and Turkey. She is currently part of the MUCA Collective and the Red Políticas y Estéticas de la Memoria.