Oscar Santillán
Bio/CV
Available works
Oscar Santillán
Oscar Santillán
The work of Santillán quietly murmurs of a world which behaves differently than the one known to us. His practice is an investigation of the margins of reality itself; it reminds us of the limits of our senses.
Santillán seeks to transgrede the very construction of Western reality, which is based on binary contraries—good/bad, black/white, man/woman, truth/lies. These categories dissolve in his work, opening up a larger sense of what is possible. He offers us physical evidence of a territory beyond reality, where a phantom limb is captured, the weight of light over planet Earth is measured, and the dance of a dead philosopher is brought back to life. There is no distinction between what is possible and impossible.
Santillán seeks to transgrede the very construction of Western reality, which is based on binary contraries—good/bad, black/white, man/woman, truth/lies. These categories dissolve in his work, opening up a larger sense of what is possible. He offers us physical evidence of a territory beyond reality, where a phantom limb is captured, the weight of light over planet Earth is measured, and the dance of a dead philosopher is brought back to life. There is no distinction between what is possible and impossible.
Bio/CV
Oscar Santillán
Oscar Santillán (b. 1980) began as a self-taught artist and co-founder of Lalimpia collective in his native Ecuador. After attempting to become a writer, in 2002 he held his first solo show ‘Art for Dogs’ in which, precisely, only dogs were allowed in to witness the exhibition. A fellowship allowed him to pursue and obtain an MFA in Sculpture at VCU—Virginia Commonwealth University, US. Over the past years he has been an artist-in-residence at Jan van Eyck, NL; Delfina Foundation, UK; Fondazione Ratti, IT; Skowhegan, US; and currently at Leiden Astronomical Observatory, NL where he is developing an ambitious project that attempts to feed algae solely with the light of faraway stars.
Santillán’s work has been shown at institutions such as NRW FORUM, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-france, Paris; IMMA—Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX; Rochechouart Musée d’art contemporain, Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo; National Dutch Dance Festival—Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; Oud-Rekem Castle, Rekem; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Socrates Park, New York; among others.
The work of Oscar Santillan is included in collections including: LACMA (US), FRAC île- de-france (FR),Voorlinden Museum (NL), JUMEX (MX), Adrastus (ES), Silvia Fiorucci Collection (MC), MACG Museum (MX), Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection (BE), CIFO (US), Colección Bachue (CO), Colección Carlos Marsano (PE), Centraal Museum Utrecht (NL), Art Nexus (US/CO), Colección Elisa Estrada (US), Alain Servais Collection (BE), among others.
Santillán’s work has been shown at institutions such as NRW FORUM, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-france, Paris; IMMA—Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX; Rochechouart Musée d’art contemporain, Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo; National Dutch Dance Festival—Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; Oud-Rekem Castle, Rekem; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Socrates Park, New York; among others.
The work of Oscar Santillan is included in collections including: LACMA (US), FRAC île- de-france (FR),Voorlinden Museum (NL), JUMEX (MX), Adrastus (ES), Silvia Fiorucci Collection (MC), MACG Museum (MX), Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection (BE), CIFO (US), Colección Bachue (CO), Colección Carlos Marsano (PE), Centraal Museum Utrecht (NL), Art Nexus (US/CO), Colección Elisa Estrada (US), Alain Servais Collection (BE), among others.
Available works
“Tears Telescope”, 2019
31 x 31 x 37 cm
Disassembled screen with video, print on glass, metal construction. Edition of 3 + 1 AP
“SKY EXCAVATION (Moon)”, 2018-2019
Dimensions Variables
Ceramics made from the composition of the moon’s soil
“SKY EXCAVATION (Mars)”, 2018-2019
Dimensions variables
Ceramic made from the soil composition of Planet Mars
“A thousand years of nonlinear history”, 2021
200 x 300 x 8 cm
Textile composed of fabrics from every century of the last millennia.
“Planetarium”, 2019
110 x 50 x 50 cm
Ceramics made from planet Venus’ soil, which is displayed on a motorized telescope mount continuously pointing to planet Venus
“Solaris (8 AM)”, 2017
Print: 120 x 110 cm
Installation: Lens made out of sand from the Atacama Desert (6 cm in diameter) and a photograph of the same desert taken by means of this lens (Inkjet print)
Oscar Santillán
The work of Santillán quietly murmurs of a world which behaves differently than the one known to us. His practice is an investigation of the margins of reality itself; it reminds us of the limits of our senses.
Santillán seeks to transgrede the very construction of Western reality, which is based on binary contraries—good/bad, black/white, man/woman, truth/lies. These categories dissolve in his work, opening up a larger sense of what is possible. He offers us physical evidence of a territory beyond reality, where a phantom limb is captured, the weight of light over planet Earth is measured, and the dance of a dead philosopher is brought back to life. There is no distinction between what is possible and impossible.
Santillán seeks to transgrede the very construction of Western reality, which is based on binary contraries—good/bad, black/white, man/woman, truth/lies. These categories dissolve in his work, opening up a larger sense of what is possible. He offers us physical evidence of a territory beyond reality, where a phantom limb is captured, the weight of light over planet Earth is measured, and the dance of a dead philosopher is brought back to life. There is no distinction between what is possible and impossible.
Oscar Santillán
Oscar Santillán (b. 1980) began as a self-taught artist and co-founder of Lalimpia collective in his native Ecuador. After attempting to become a writer, in 2002 he held his first solo show ‘Art for Dogs’ in which, precisely, only dogs were allowed in to witness the exhibition. A fellowship allowed him to pursue and obtain an MFA in Sculpture at VCU—Virginia Commonwealth University, US. Over the past years he has been an artist-in-residence at Jan van Eyck, NL; Delfina Foundation, UK; Fondazione Ratti, IT; Skowhegan, US; and currently at Leiden Astronomical Observatory, NL where he is developing an ambitious project that attempts to feed algae solely with the light of faraway stars.
Santillán’s work has been shown at institutions such as NRW FORUM, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-france, Paris; IMMA—Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX; Rochechouart Musée d’art contemporain, Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo; National Dutch Dance Festival—Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; Oud-Rekem Castle, Rekem; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Socrates Park, New York; among others.
The work of Oscar Santillan is included in collections including: LACMA (US), FRAC île- de-france (FR),Voorlinden Museum (NL), JUMEX (MX), Adrastus (ES), Silvia Fiorucci Collection (MC), MACG Museum (MX), Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection (BE), CIFO (US), Colección Bachue (CO), Colección Carlos Marsano (PE), Centraal Museum Utrecht (NL), Art Nexus (US/CO), Colección Elisa Estrada (US), Alain Servais Collection (BE), among others.
Santillán’s work has been shown at institutions such as NRW FORUM, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-france, Paris; IMMA—Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX; Rochechouart Musée d’art contemporain, Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo; National Dutch Dance Festival—Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; Oud-Rekem Castle, Rekem; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Socrates Park, New York; among others.
The work of Oscar Santillan is included in collections including: LACMA (US), FRAC île- de-france (FR),Voorlinden Museum (NL), JUMEX (MX), Adrastus (ES), Silvia Fiorucci Collection (MC), MACG Museum (MX), Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection (BE), CIFO (US), Colección Bachue (CO), Colección Carlos Marsano (PE), Centraal Museum Utrecht (NL), Art Nexus (US/CO), Colección Elisa Estrada (US), Alain Servais Collection (BE), among others.
“Tears Telescope”, 2019
31 x 31 x 37 cm
Disassembled screen with video, print on glass, metal construction. Edition of 3 + 1 AP
“SKY EXCAVATION (Moon)”, 2018-2019
Dimensions Variables
Ceramics made from the composition of the moon’s soil
“SKY EXCAVATION (Mars)”, 2018-2019
Dimensions variables
Ceramic made from the soil composition of Planet Mars
“A thousand years of nonlinear history”, 2021
200 x 300 x 8 cm
Textile composed of fabrics from every century of the last millennia.
“Planetarium”, 2019
110 x 50 x 50 cm
Ceramics made from planet Venus’ soil, which is displayed on a motorized telescope mount continuously pointing to planet Venus
“Solaris (8 AM)”, 2017
Print: 120 x 110 cm
Installation: Lens made out of sand from the Atacama Desert (6 cm in diameter) and a photograph of the same desert taken by means of this lens (Inkjet print)