Magdalena Correa Larrain

Magdalena Correa Larrain - The faces of Earth 1

Biografía del Artista: Magdalena Correa Larraín is a contemporary Chilean artist, born in Santiago in 1968. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts with a major in engraving from the Catholic University of Chile, where she began to develop her interest in photographic and video research on isolated and extreme territories where man lives. After her initial training, Magdalena continued her academic training and obtained her PhD in photography and video from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, accredited by ANECA. In addition, she obtained a Master's degree in Photography Direction from ECAM, the School of Cinematography in Madrid. Magdalena has been a member of the Research Line "Applications to Audiovisual and Multimedia Systems" of the Engineering Department of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, in Barcelona. Currently, she teaches in the Fine Arts Degree at the Antonio de Nebrija University. Her specialty is photographic and video research on isolated and extreme territories, where she explores themes related to identity, memory and the relationship of man with the natural and social environment. Some of his most notable projects include "Austral" (2006), about the XI Region of Aysén in southern Chile; "La Desaparición" (2008), about the Gobi desert in China and Mongolia and the Atacama desert in northern Chile; "Níveo" (2011), about the Chilean town of Villa Las Estrellas, located in Antarctica; "La Rinconada" (2013), about the highest gold mine in the world, located at 5,600 meters above sea level, in the Ananea District, Peru; "Luxury has a new Address" (2014), about the wealth and ostentation of Kuwaiti society; "Wayúu" (2015), about the Wayúu ethnic group located in the Alta Guajira desert, Colombia; and "Suiti" (2018), about the Suiti culture (an intangible UNESCO heritage site in danger of extinction), located in Alsunga, Latvia. With a prolific and recognized career, Magdalena Correa Larraín is one of the most outstanding contemporary artists in Chile, who through her projects seeks to explore the relationship between human beings and their environment, generating deep and original reflections on identity and memory.

THE FACES OF THE EARTH: Photographs that the artist Magdalena Correa has taken during this time of pandemic in northern Mexico, specifically in the Mezquital Valley, where the indigenous heritage survives harmoniously united with the Hispanic heritage. In this land, extreme impoverishment has led to mass migration, causing the disconnection of peasants from the land. Women in the area fight for equality and respect but are frequently excluded from social and development processes, which keeps them in a situation of extreme vulnerability throughout their lives. The work of this Chilean artist seeks to discover people through their environment. Groups that choose, or whose destiny places them in isolated and remote places whose isolation irremediably shapes their character and their vision of the world. People who are capable of turning an extreme situation into something everyday and homely. Women who fight against their irrelevance by re-imagining their habitat.