MARIANA NOREÑA: TERRITORIO CENIZA
May 18 - June 15, 2024 / Opening event May 18, 5 - 8pm
Activation by Felipe Macia: “Atmosphere of Rivers” May 25, 3 - 5 pm
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Mariana Noreña is a multidisciplinary artist from Bogotá, Colombia, currently living in Chicago, IL, whose work explores places, landscapes, and natural phenomena through earth matter and materials that speak of past, present, and intimate stories. Her sculpture-based installations expose these stories by creating an echo of time, observation, and research.
Mariana holds dual bachelor's degrees in Design and Fine Arts with an emphasis in Painting and Drawing from La Universidad de Los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia), for which she received a merit distinction on her thesis project “You Were Here” which explored the landscape of the body through alternative portraiture. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in the Fiber and Material Studies from the School of Art Institute of Chicago.
Mariana has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Colombia at venues such as La Feria del Millon Art Fair, Contemporary Museum of Art of Bogota, and SGR Gallery. In the United States, Mariana has a solo exhibition in Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México Chicago “Reflections of Place.”
Her work has also been shown at the LeRoy Neiman Gallery at Columbia University (New York City), Krasl Art Center (St Joseph, Michigan), Gallery 1922, SAIC Galleries, RHAA, The Franklin, and Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago). Her work is in the collection of the Museo Bolivariano of Contemporary Art. She was a 2023 Fellow at the Vermont Studio Center and a 2022 Luminarts Cultural Foundation finalist.
Stick Season, 2023, courtesy of Mariana Noreña
“Atmosphere of Rivers,” 2023, courtesy Felipe Macia
ABOUT FELIPE MACIA
Felipe Macia navigates the intricate nexus of art, environment, and community engagement, employing various mediums such as documentary, video installation, light, and sound. With a background in regenerative business design, environmental conservation, and community-based initiatives, Felipe approaches his work with an intuitive responsiveness to landscapes while remaining ethically attuned to the communities he collaborates with. Felipe completed an MFA in Film, Video, Animation, and New Media at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a bachelor's in Business and Sustainability at the University of Queensland in Australia.
His short film "Verde Como el Oro" received the Rainforest Journalism Pulitzer Grant. This documentary shed light on a threatening mega mining project in Colombia, sparking a compelling campaign against environmental destruction. It was screened at renowned venues such as France 24, the Medellin Modern Art Museum, and the Environmental Film Festival Planet On, garnering international recognition and contributing to meaningful conversations about environmental activism.
In 2023, his piece "Architectural Kinetics" was featured in the winter season program at Art on the Mart in Chicago. Furthermore, the community-based project, La Leona Rural Public School, which challenges traditional design principles for rural schools in Colombia, was nominated for The Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize 2024 at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Additionally, his video installation "Voz de la Tierra" was presented in the Museum of Modern Art of Bogota, offering an immersive exploration of a portrait on environmental justice. Felipe's commitment to environmental advocacy extends beyond art, as he holds leadership positions in conservation agencies such as the board of directors of the World Wildlife Fund Colombia (WWF).