Mario Opazo
Mario Opazo was born in Chile in May 1969, lives and works in Bogotá and is a professor at the National University of Colombia where he works as Associate Professor in the position of Academic Coordinator of the Master of Plastic and Visual Arts. Among his outstanding works is the book: “The stupid dog and the photos I never took”, published by the National University of Colombia, a powerful set of images written in the form of prose poetry, aimed at pointing out memory as a power or creative force and his work on video: "Forgotten Sand", from which the Colombian philosopher living in France, Alfredo Gómez-Muller, wrote his political essay entitled: “Art and memory of inhumanity: about an oblivion of sand” published in the book: “La vulnérabilité du monde: Democraties et violences à l'heure de la globalization », edited by the Université Catholique de Louvain.
He has participated in the 52nd Venice International Art Biennial in 2007, the X Havana Biennial, the II Mercosur Biennial and this year he was invited to the Monterrey Biennial in Mexico. He was the winner of the Latin American Art Award at MOLAA, Los Angeles, USA. He has participated in several versions of the RENCONTRES INTERNATIONALES PARIS / BERLIN / MADRID at the Georges Pompidou Center and at Beaux-arts in Paris and at the Museo Nacional Reina Sofía in Madrid, at the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris. His work has been exhibited in individual and collective exhibitions inside and outside the country, the premiere of his film "AMARGO COMO LA VIDA", dedicated to the Saharawi people in exile, stands out. This film was premiered in Europe at the MATADERO CULTURAL CENTER MADRID. He has been nominated for scholarships and creation awards such as: the Guggenheim Scholarship nomination for the Brazilian artist Paulo Bruscky in 2000 and the Luis Caballero Award nomination in 2008. His individual exhibition stands out "Runaway Territory", inaugurated in March 2008 at the Gabriela Mistral Gallery in Santiago de Chile. Among other important prizes, he has received the First Prize at the 36th National Salon of Artists in Colombia, the Luis Caballero prize in 2010, the First Prize at the Young Art Salon, the First Prize at the I Bidimensional Art Salon, the First Prize at the Kent Explora Hall of the British American Tobacco and countless mentions and recognitions for his work.
In 2014, the book Mario Opazo: Trayectoria 1969-2012 was published, written by Natalia Gutiérrez, Colombian anthropologist, theoretician, and art curator. Some of his latest works focus on audiovisual explorations, from video art to productions closer to essay film, he has a videography that stands out for its poetic and political tone, highlighting the drives of today's man, his state of wandering and the political and social crisis of the contemporary world. His work of plastic installations is also highlighted, carrying out interventions and constructions in architecture, proposing from the work a scenario for the sensitive experience through which the body of the public experiences control regimes taken from the architectures of power and the development of the body in the time and space of the work that is given as an opening to the image.
Mario Opazo's trajectory now exceeds two decades, his work has been exhibited permanently since 1992, participating in social discussions that take place in the light of public settings, a scene to which his work has not been indifferent.