Mazzoli Gallery - Oscar Santillán

Born in Ecuador in 1980, lives between The Netherlands and Ecuador.

The work of Oscar Santillán insinuates the existence of a territory where the limits of what is possible can be trespassed: what happened, what may have happened, and what is presented are equivalent terms. Unexpected events occur there, the beat of drums get synchronized to the abundant sweat of a person, the unrealized desire of a dead person is fulfilled, a phantom island is reconstituted, or the weight of all the sunlight over planet Earth is perfectly embodied by a stone.
Santillan received a Sculpture MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University - VCU (US), and attended residencies at Davidoff International AIR (DO), Delfina Foundation (UK), Jan van Eyck (NL), Fondazione Ratti (IT), Skowhegan (US), and Seven Below (US).
His work has been displayed at Witte de With (NL), Irish Museum of Modern Art (IE), IV Poli/graphic Triennial (PR), Centraal Museum (NL), ‘Carrillo Gil’ Museum of Art (MX), STUK (BE), FLORA ars+natura (CO), The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art - SECCA (US), Nest (NL), Sala Miró Quesada (PE), Galleria Mazzoli (IT), Copperfield (UK), Bonnefanten Museum (NL), NoMINIMO (EC), Marilia Razuk Gallery (BR), XIII Bienal de Cuenca (EC), Kröller-Müller Museum (NL), Fundación ODEON (CO), Bienal de Arte Paiz (GT), among other venues.
Santillan’s work has been the subject of articles, reviews, and interviews published on Frieze magazine, Art Pulse, Art Forum, Art Nexus, Art Monthly, Exibart, Metropolis M, The Blank, Art News, among others.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS - Selection

2016
Zaratán, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art. Rotterdam, NL
El Triunfo del Placer, Photoimagen 2016. Santo Domingo, DO

2015
A Silence Broken Into Smaller Silences, Copperfield Gallery, London, UK
The Messenger, Galleria Mazzoli / Spazio Calderara. Milan, IT
El Triunfo del Placer NoMiNIMO Gallery. Guayaquil, EC

2014
On Hesitation Marks, Kunstraum. Munich, DE curated by Maria Ines Plaza

2013
Parkers, Frontenpark. Maastricht, NL commissioned by Viewmaster Stichting, and curated by Bart van den Boom
Uriel, dpm gallery. Guayaquil, EC

2012
Lucerna, ODEON Art Foundation, Bogota, CO curated by Maria del Pilar Estrada
Premio Mariano Aguilera, Centro de Arte Contemporaneo. Quito, EC curated by Ana Rosa Valdez

2011
Azor, dpm gallery. Guayaquil, EC MFA
Thesis Show Anderson Gallery - Virginia Commonwealth University, US

2009
Un Fantasma que Recorre el Mundo, dpm gallery. Guayaquil, EC curated by Maria del Pilar Estrada and Rodolfo Kronfle

2002
Arte para Perros, Galeria Madeleine Hollander. Guayaquil, EC

GROUP EXHIBITIONS - Selection

2016

XIII Bienal de Cuenca, Museo de la Medicina. Cuenca, EC
Nature Based, Kröller-Müller Museum. Otterlo, NL
Naturally Obscure Passerelle, Contemporary Art Center. Brest, FR

2015

Lekker Licht Centraal Museum, Utrecht, NL
Artefact: You Must Change Your Life, STUK Kunstcentrum. Leuven, BE
4th Poly/Graphic Triennial Institute of Culture. San Juan, PR
Repeat/Rehearse Delfina Foundation. London, UK
Adam, Eve and the Devil Marres Centrum voor Contemporaine Cultuur. Maastricht, NL

More Than One Maker Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Dublin, IE
The Morning I Killed A Fly Galleria Mazzoli. Modena, IT

2014
Alchemy Nest. The Hague, NL
Conscientia, Latin American Consciousness [Nominated ‘Best UK Exhibition of the Year’ by LUKAS Prize] Art at Lloyds. London, UK
Nederlandse Dansdagen Bonnefanten Museum. Maastricht, NL commissioned piece, Lighting Strikes Twice in the Same Place Bienal de Arte Paíz. Antigua, GT
Moules, Oeufs, Frites The Ridder Gallery. Maastricht, NL
Corpus Lingua Jan van Eyck Academie. Maastricht, NL

2013
Metaphysical Interventions Neiman Gallery - Columbia University. New York, NY. USA Magic Hour The Ridder Gallery. Maastricht, NL
Here is Always Somewhere Else Oud-Rekem castle. BE
Videodrama Centro de Arte Contemporaneo (CAC). Quito. EC
Näitus Temnikova & Kasela Gallery. Tallinn. EE

2012
Paperless The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA). US

Los Irrespetuosos Museo de Arte “Carrillo Gil”. Mexico City. MX

2011
The Life of Objects VOGT Gallery. New York, NY. US
Options. Project of the Arts Biennial Washington DC. US Strange Magic Guest Spot Gallery. Baltimore, MD. US

X Bienal de Cuenca – Official National Representation Museo del Banco Central. Cuenca. EC
Campo de Asociaciones – Contemporary Latin American Drawing Museo de Antropologia y Arte Contemporaneo (MAAC). EC

Our Cult’s Classics Pierogi Gallery. New York, NY. US

2010
Kierkegaard’s Walk Marilia Razuk Gallery. Sao Paulo. BR

2009

Archeologies of the Future Galeria Arte Actual – FLACSO. Quito. EC c
X Bienal de la Habana – Official National Representation (as part of Lalimpia collective) La Habana. CU

2007
What Images Want ICO Foundation. Madrid, ES Lugar a Dudas. Cali, CO

2006
Esteticas en Construccion (A Selection of Latin American video art), Galería Blasini. Caracas, VE / dpm gallery. Guayaquil, EC / Galería Mateo Sariel. PA / Centro Cultural Español. GT

FELLOW

2017
Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Dublin, IE

2016
Davidoff International. DO/CH

2015
Delfina Foundation. London, UK

2014
CSAV. Ratti Foundation. Como, IT

2013-2014
Jan van Eyck Academie (Post-Academic Institute). Maastricht, NL

2012
Seven Below. Burlington City Arts (BCA). Burlington, VT. USA

2010

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Skowhegan, ME. USA

2007
Curare. Museo de la Ciudad. Quito, EC

September 2017 - November 2017
Oscar Santillán
Mazzoli, Berlin

SELECTED WORKS
Oscar Santillán