Oscar Santillán
Bio/CV
Available works
Oscar Santillán
Oscar Santillán
Oscar Santillán (b. 1980, Ecuador) lives and works between Ecuador and the Netherlands. He began as a self-taught artist and co-founder of Lalimpia collective in Ecuador. After attempting to become a writer, in 2002 he held his first solo show “Art for Dogs”, in which only dogs were allowed to witness the exhibition. He holds an MFA in Sculpture from VCU—Virginia Commonwealth University, US.
Bio/CV
Oscar Santillán
His recent group exhibitions include “Arts of the Earth”, Guggenheim Bilbao; “Plants and Planets”, Hortus Botanicus Leiden; and the Ecuador Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale (duo exhibition presented with the Tawna collective).
His work has been shown at institutions including NRW Forum, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; IMMA— Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Texas; Musée d’Art Contemporain de Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kröller- Müller Museum, Otterlo; Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; and Socrates Sculpture Park, New York; among others.
Santillán’s work is held in collections including LACMA, Los Angeles; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Jumex Museum, Mexico City; Adrastus Collection, Spain; Silvia Fiorucci Collection, Monaco; MACG Museum, Mexico City; Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection, Belgium; CIFO, Miami; Colección Bachué, Colombia; Colección Carlos Marsano, Lima; Centraal Museum Utrecht; Art Nexus Collection; Colección Elisa Estrada; and Alain Servais Collection, Belgium; among others.
He has been artist-in-residence at Jan van Eyck, Netherlands; Delfina Foundation, London; Fondazione Ratti, Italy; Skowhegan, US; and Leiden Astronomical Observatory, Netherlands.
His work has been shown at institutions including NRW Forum, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; IMMA— Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Texas; Musée d’Art Contemporain de Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kröller- Müller Museum, Otterlo; Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; and Socrates Sculpture Park, New York; among others.
Santillán’s work is held in collections including LACMA, Los Angeles; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Jumex Museum, Mexico City; Adrastus Collection, Spain; Silvia Fiorucci Collection, Monaco; MACG Museum, Mexico City; Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection, Belgium; CIFO, Miami; Colección Bachué, Colombia; Colección Carlos Marsano, Lima; Centraal Museum Utrecht; Art Nexus Collection; Colección Elisa Estrada; and Alain Servais Collection, Belgium; among others.
He has been artist-in-residence at Jan van Eyck, Netherlands; Delfina Foundation, London; Fondazione Ratti, Italy; Skowhegan, US; and Leiden Astronomical Observatory, Netherlands.
Available works
“Oracle”, 2025
50 x 50 x 60 cm
Dust particle, stainless steel, augmented reality (AR) and audio in four channels
“A Heavy Halo (AHH)”, 2025
62 x 49 x 6.5 cm
Oil on marble, stainless steel, ABS resin, and automotive paint
“A thousand years of nonlinear history”, 2021
200 x 300 x 8 cm
Textile composed of fabrics from every century of the last millennia.
“The Andean Information Age”, 2021
Slide projector controlled by micro-computer, 80 analog slides (35mm), and audio stereo
“How Rivers Think”, 2019
120 x 45 x 45 cm
Projection with Kodak Carousel projector, slides, timer, motor, wooden base
“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 (Mercury)”, 2018-2019
Dimensions variables
Ceramic made from the soil composition of Planet Mars
“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
Oscar Santillán (b. 1980, Ecuador) lives and works between Ecuador and the Netherlands. He began as a self-taught artist and co-founder of Lalimpia collective in Ecuador. After attempting to become a writer, in 2002 he held his first solo show “Art for Dogs”, in which only dogs were allowed to witness the exhibition. He holds an MFA in Sculpture from VCU—Virginia Commonwealth University, US.
Oscar Santillán
His recent group exhibitions include “Arts of the Earth”, Guggenheim Bilbao; “Plants and Planets”, Hortus Botanicus Leiden; and the Ecuador Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale (duo exhibition presented with the Tawna collective).
His work has been shown at institutions including NRW Forum, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; IMMA— Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Texas; Musée d’Art Contemporain de Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kröller- Müller Museum, Otterlo; Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; and Socrates Sculpture Park, New York; among others.
Santillán’s work is held in collections including LACMA, Los Angeles; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Jumex Museum, Mexico City; Adrastus Collection, Spain; Silvia Fiorucci Collection, Monaco; MACG Museum, Mexico City; Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection, Belgium; CIFO, Miami; Colección Bachué, Colombia; Colección Carlos Marsano, Lima; Centraal Museum Utrecht; Art Nexus Collection; Colección Elisa Estrada; and Alain Servais Collection, Belgium; among others.
He has been artist-in-residence at Jan van Eyck, Netherlands; Delfina Foundation, London; Fondazione Ratti, Italy; Skowhegan, US; and Leiden Astronomical Observatory, Netherlands.
His work has been shown at institutions including NRW Forum, Düsseldorf; SongEun Art Space, Seoul; LACMA, Los Angeles; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Zadkine Museum, Paris; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; IMMA— Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Ballroom Marfa, Texas; Musée d’Art Contemporain de Rochechouart; Album Arte, Rome; STUK, Leuven; Trienal Poligráfica, San Juan; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Kröller- Müller Museum, Otterlo; Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; CAC—Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Quito; Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City; Museo de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá; Centraal Museum, Utrecht; and Socrates Sculpture Park, New York; among others.
Santillán’s work is held in collections including LACMA, Los Angeles; FRAC Île-de-France, Paris; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Jumex Museum, Mexico City; Adrastus Collection, Spain; Silvia Fiorucci Collection, Monaco; MACG Museum, Mexico City; Bieke and Tanguy van Quickenborne Collection, Belgium; CIFO, Miami; Colección Bachué, Colombia; Colección Carlos Marsano, Lima; Centraal Museum Utrecht; Art Nexus Collection; Colección Elisa Estrada; and Alain Servais Collection, Belgium; among others.
He has been artist-in-residence at Jan van Eyck, Netherlands; Delfina Foundation, London; Fondazione Ratti, Italy; Skowhegan, US; and Leiden Astronomical Observatory, Netherlands.
“Oracle”, 2025
50 x 50 x 60 cm
Dust particle, stainless steel, augmented reality (AR) and audio in four channels
“A Heavy Halo (AHH)”, 2025
62 x 49 x 6.5 cm
Oil on marble, stainless steel, ABS resin, and automotive paint
“A thousand years of nonlinear history”, 2021
200 x 300 x 8 cm
Textile composed of fabrics from every century of the last millennia.
“The Andean Information Age”, 2021
Slide projector controlled by micro-computer, 80 analog slides (35mm), and audio stereo
“How Rivers Think”, 2019
120 x 45 x 45 cm
Projection with Kodak Carousel projector, slides, timer, motor, wooden base
“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 (Mercury)”, 2018-2019
Dimensions variables
Ceramic made from the soil composition of Planet Mars
“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)