Vantage Points

Abstract

A distinctive trait of the Chilean art scene, its insular condition came about as a consequence of the 1973 coup d’état, which interrupted foreign relations for a long time. The situation is only now being reversed, with local artistic production still being restricted to a homegrown market and audiences. Within this national circuit of the arts, almost entirely centered in the city of Santiago, artistic work is mostly limited to the activity of graduates and faculty from metropolitan universities, such as the Universidad de Chile and the Universidad Católica. The trend is now being reversed thanks to recent social events, primarily the 2019 uprisings or the increased market value of lithium, which put Chile back at the center of the global geopolitical agenda. In addition, a shift in media attention toward the art of indigenous peoples, which peaked in 2022, with examples such as the Venice Biennale, has allowed artists like Cecilia Vicuña, active since the seventies, to enter the so-called star system of art.