2023 Winner
Cristina Salas
Project:
Cristina Salas' Muñeca Gardens are an ongoing series of large scale pollinator gardens made from crocheted recycled fabric and natural fibers often in the shape of mythological female figures.
Bio:
I was born in 1985 in Quito, Ecuador. I studied fine art at the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze, Italy from 2004-2007. Then I moved to Paris for one year and I attended the drawing course at Ateliers Beaux Arts, Glacière, France. I did a master in Art Production from Universidad Politècnica de Valencia from 2008 to 2010. After that, I moved back to Quito and started to work on mosaic murals, textile dolls and art exhibitions. Between 2011 and 2012 I participated in 3 residencies: Liceo de Chesnoy, France, Fist Art Foundation in Puerto Rico and Latin American Art with FONCA in Mexico. I came back to Quito, Ecuador in 2013 to work on an art workshop for Liceo Internacional School and then I started working as a teacher of ceramic and drawing at Universidad San Francisco de Quito until 2015. In 2018 I graduated with a Master in Architecture from Louisiana State University, United States. I moved to New York to work for Dameron Architecture, where I collaborated in a few mosaic installations, including Carroll Hall, an event space in Bushwick. Thanks to the support of Chashama I had my first solo show in Manhattan in 2022. This opportunity connected me with curator Connie Lee of Art Lives Here, a non profit organization where I'm currently a member and I'm the artist selected for this year's Project Development cohort. We are in the process of creating "Doll's Garden" a public living installation meant to be installed next year somewhere in Brooklyn. I currently work as a full time artist with a studio practice at home.