This category is dedicated to bringing together all the information necessary to promoting the original artist of Southern Chile. We wish to help distinguish the true artist from the “other artist” they compete with in the art fairs. The “other artist” would be those that sell mass production works, just as easily found at any art market across the Americas from Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, all the way to Santa Fe in the United States. Many are likely made at the same factories in China. We have seen in person many similar products for sale at tourist markets in China.

We are not just looking for arts and crafts, but the stories behind the artist. Often the motive behind is as important, if not more than the art in itself, placing the art in its proper context. Recently, the official tourist authorities of the Southern Zones have come to appreciate the importance of promoting art to the tourism industry. What is lacking is any standards to distinguish and protect artist from the mass production items. Incorporating their stories, techniques, and motives behind the art is one well tested method to help protect artist. That is, don't just sell the art but the artist along with it. This ensures proper credit goes to where it belongs. Picasso still gets credit for all the fake Picasso paintings in the World.

Sadly, this mass production often discourages artist from competing in art fairs, and we have to look even harder into the small communities of the South to find their work. Luckily, if you find one good artist, they are often able to help us find more. So, we have created this particular category for introducing the art, artist, their stories, and the information necessary for finding them in All Southern Chile.

In our travels around Southern Chile, we pay special attention to the artist and where to find them. We would also appreciate any leads that you might have on particularly special artist or organizations associated with art. Please contact us through the forum or via e-mail at: editor@allsouthernchile.com

Pablo Fierro, saving southern Chile's Victorian architecture one sketch at a time

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...Pable Fierro is trying to capture that character a building only acquires through age and weathering... Southern Chile's architecture is a unique reflection of the glory years of Chile, before the Panama canal cut South America off from the major shipping lanes and Germans immigrants flocked to settle in places like Puerto Varas and Valdivia in the South. Sadly, the social fad in Chile is to modernize and prove to the World that Chile is a developed country by using as much concrete and steal as possible, often at the expense of southern Chile's classic Victorian style homes.

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Casa de la Mujer Mapuche (House of the Mapuche Women)

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If you ask for places to go in Temuco, probably everybody will mention the House of the Mapuche Women. The problem is, nobody will explain to you what that is. Like most of us, you will think it is an Indian museum displaying arts and craft of Mapuche women. Far from that, La Casa de la Mujer Mapuche is a small store for Mapuche traditional textiles and craft in Central Temuco selling products produced by Mapuche women around the Araucanía region. The center itself is much more than the little store you will see in Temuco. They are actually in charge of a national distribution chain with stores in Puerto Varas, Valparaiso and Santiago, and are exporting to European countries. There is another distribution center located in Barcelona. Perhaps the whole project is best described as a collective or a consignment store.

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Eduardo Cortés Cárdenas, Coal Sculptures from Lota

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He has dedicated his life to mining, long after the mines have closed. Don Eduardo is today an artist, but worked for years as a Coal miner in the mines of Lota before it closed in 1997. We often think of Southern art in terms of its traditional source, either in local culture or some European tradition.  Don Eduardo's art is uniquely refreshing in that he invented this art and this medium as a means to survive after the closing of the Mines in Lota.  He represents a unique period in Chilean history by the style, subject, and the medium he uses that depicts the glory years of the region.

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Rosa Martínez, Temuco

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Weaving and Mapuche Textiles In the Araucanía region of Southern Chile the Mapuche Textiles are very common and easy to find. It is not easy to distinguish those made by hand.  Señora  Rosa Martínez has years of experience and has become internationally famous for the quality and originality of her weaving. She frequently travels around the world presenting her art in Europe and the United States.

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Eva Medina Trujillo, Temuco

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Artist in Straw Señora Eva has for more than 20 years been creating these sculptures and paintings in relief using small pieces of different colored straw. Even though it is not a traditional type of art of the Araucanía region, she incorporates the local culture in dedicating her designs to recreating the history and traditions of the Araucano Indian Society.

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