8 – 9 pm
ESTE FOCUS | The Uruguayan Pavilion at the 60th International Biennale di Venezia
Eduardo Cardozo, artist (Montevideo)
Elisa Valerio, curator and coordinator at ESTE ARTE (Montevideo)
Álvaro Zinno, collaborator (Montevideo)
In conversation with María Frick, director, Insituto Nacional de Artes Visuales, DNC-MEC
This program will be held in Spanish, without translation

EDUARDO CARDOZO

Eduardo Cardozo (1965, Montevideo) is a visual artist. He graduated from the National School of Fine Arts of Uruguay in 1990 from the workshop of Ernesto Arostegui. He also studied for four years at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of the Republic. Additionally, he studied printmaking with Luis Camnitzer in Valdottavo, Italy, thanks to a scholarship, and took courses in video (El ojo disidente) and philosophy of art with Andrea Carriquiry. Among other distinctions, he has twice won the first prize at the National Salon (2012 and 2004), the Paul Cézanne Prize (1991), which earned him a study scholarship in France; the Bicentennial Painting Prize (2011), and the Municipal Biennial of Montevideo (1994). He has participated in multiple biennials, including the first and fifth Biennial of Mercosur in Porto Alegre (Brazil, 1997 and 2005), the Biennial of Cuenca (Ecuador, 2001), the Biennial Do out do at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii (Italy, 2019), and the Beijing Biennial (China, 2021). Since the late 80s, he has held dozens of solo and group exhibitions in Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, the United States, Germany, Spain, Austria, France, and China. His work is part of important public and private collections in Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Germany, France, and the United States. He lives and works in Montevideo, Uruguay.

ELISA VALERIO

Elisa Valerio (1990, Montevideo). Master's degree in Advanced Studies in Art History from the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), with a master's thesis focusing on the connection between mediation and curatorial practices. She completed her master's internship at the Coordination of Educational Projects at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies (Barcelona, Spain). Additionally, she holds a degree in Literature from the Universidad de la República (Uruguay) and a diploma in Editing from the Universidad CLAEH (Uruguay). Since 2019, she has been working independently as a curator, manager, producer, and journalist in projects related to the visual arts in Uruguay. She has collaborated in various roles with different national institutions, including the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Museum of Contemporary Art Atchugarry (MACA), the Space of Contemporary Art (EAC), the José Gurvich Museum, the Xippas gallery, Diana Saravia Gallery, and ESTE ARTE. She regularly writes about visual arts for ArtNexus (Colombia-United States) and la diaria (Uruguay). Since 2020, she is the fair coordinator of ESTE ARTE. Additionally, she provides artist consultations to assist in their career development and professionalization, and she teaches courses related to mediation and the art market. She lives and works in Uruguay.

ÁLVARO ZINNO

Álvaro Zinno (1958, Montevideo) is an artist and photographer. He studied drawing and painting with Clever Lara in 1980. In 1986, he took a photogravure course with David Finkbeiener at New York University, and in 1988, a video art course with John Sturgeon at the Museum of Plastic and Visual Arts. He holds a degree in structural civil engineering from the University of the Republic. In 1987, he received a Fulbright Scholarship for a photography project in New York. Since the 1980s, he has exhibited his work in solo and group shows in Uruguay, Argentina, the United States, Belgium, Mexico, Cuba, and Chile. His work is part of national and international collections. Zinno's contributions to the arts have earned him multiple awards and recognitions. In 1988, he won the Graciela Paternó Prize in the Pan Am Competition, which was exhibited at the Museum of American Art in Maldonado. In 1991, he received the 500 Years Prize, organized by the Ibero-American Cooperation Institute. In 1996, he achieved the first prize Citibank at the Museum of American Art in Maldonado and the first prize in the 100 Years Contest of the newspaper El Día. In 2006, he won the Broadcast Design Award for an editing piece of Smallville from Warner Brothers. Since 2000, he has worked as a post-producer, advertising director, and director of photography. He lives and works in Uruguay.

MARÍA FRICK

María Frick is a Doctor in History and Humanities, Master in Latin American Studies and Bachelor of Political Science. Active member of the National Research System - ANII / SNI (Uruguay). With fifteen years of experience in development cooperation, she has coordinated the UNESCO Culture Program in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. She is now the Coordinator of the National Institute of Visual Arts of Uruguay.