Maria I. Alvarado Concha

Profile

I specialise in contemporary art, with a particular focus on women’s artistic practices.

My interest in the history of art began during my studies in philosophy, where I explored Kant’s aesthetics in a dissertation on the conception of fine art in the Critique of Judgment. This project deepened my engagement with the philosophy of art. Later, my research on self-representation and resistance in the graphic arts of Roser Bru and Virginia Errázuriz broadened my perspective, introducing me to feminist approaches and new materialisms.

My project is aligned with Griselda Pollock’s call for feminist interventions in art history and builds on the work of Latin American art historians such as Cecilia Fajardo Hill, Andrea Giunta, Soledad Novoa, Gloria Cortés, Josefina de la Maza, and Sophie Halart, who have addressed the marginalisation of women artists in Chilean art histories.

This research interrogates the role of materiality in art practice and exhibition, proposing that certain practices by Chilean women artists require a broader analytical scope—one that considers the relationship between the human and non-human, and between subjectivity and materiality, introducing ‘encounter’ as a key category. Through the work Chilean women artists, I examine how materiality and subjectivity interact across diverse media and sensory experiences. Ultimately, the project aims to discuss the possibilities and limits of new materialist approaches for feminist art historiography in the Chilean context.

Research interests

• Contemporary art and feminist historiography
• New materialist theories
• Materiality and subjectivity in art
• Curatorial feminist interventions
• Chilean women artists

Qualifications

• MA History of Art
• BA Philosophy
• BA Literature and Linguistics
• Diploma in Curating
• Diploma in Higher Education