OSCAR SANTILLÁN TO REPRESENT ECUADOR AT THE 61ST VENICE BIENNALE

Ecuadorian artist Oscar Santillán has been selected to represent Ecuador at the 61st International Art Exhibition – Venice Biennale, opening on May 9, 2026, in Venice. The pavilion, located at Castello 166/A, will be on view through November 22 and is curated by Manuela Moscoso, invited by the MAAC – Museum of Anthropological and Contemporary Art.

Following a research- and dialogue-driven curatorial process, Moscoso brought together the collective Tawna and Santillán to represent the country. This ongoing collaboration unites distinct yet deeply connected artistic practices emerging from Andean-Amazonian contexts, engaging with questions of territory, knowledge, and coexistence.

Santillán’s work is driven by unexpected connections: linking the sweat of a person with the beat of drums, or the breeze displaced by a running jaguar with a marble container. His recent practice is grounded in Antimundo, an ongoing multidisciplinary project encompassing paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Through it, he envisions connections between Andean indigenous knowledge systems and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and 3D modeling, exploring what lies beyond established Western worldviews.

He began as a self-taught artist within Lalimpia, a collective he co-founded with peers of his generation. After further studies in Ecuador, a fellowship enabled him to pursue an MFA in Sculpture at VCU—Virginia Commonwealth University. He currently serves as an advisor at De Ateliers (Amsterdam), a lecturer at St Joost (Breda), and a visiting professor at Espol (Guayaquil).

His work has been widely exhibited internationally across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and he has received commissions from major biennials and art platforms. Santillán’s work is also held in international public collections and he has participated in numerous residencies, consolidating a globally recognized practice.