Biography of Sandra Vasquez de la Horra
Chilean artist Sandra Vasquez de la Horra's mysterious prints and drawings are deeply influenced by her native country's folklore, myth, and literary heritage. Her wax-dipped works are populated by strange creatures and frequently feature accompanying text that thematize such universal topics as death, sexuality, or motherhood—often in Spanish, but also English and German. Other motifs are rooted in national history, as in the artist's depictions of General Augusto Pinochet's military coup of 1973.
Presenting fragmented visions from a nation's visual heritage, Sandra Vasquez de la Horra's work as a draughtswoman and a printmaker is reflective and surreal—small-scale works on paper that quietly explore a universe of emotions and memories, fears and dreams. Female figures dominate her art, hovering in an otherwise empty page, often nude, pregnant or giving birth, or in a state of repose. Frequently detailing the anatomy and internal workings of their bodies, depicting muscles, mammary glands, and even the uterus, the artist's works becoming an intense examination of the essence of womanhood.
Born in Chile in 1967, Sandra Vasquez de la Horra studied under Rosemarie Trockel at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. In 2009 she won The Drawing Prize of the Contemporary Art Foundation, Daniel and Florence Guerlain and has had several solo shows internationally, at the Oldenburger Kunstverein, the Musée d'Art Moderne de St-Etienne Métropole, and The Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, amongst others. Vasquez de la Horra's work can be found in renowned public collections such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Piermont Morgan Library in New York, and the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf.
