Plataforma Atacama

Founded in 2012 in Atacama, Chile
Created by Alexia Tala

Plataforma Atacama began its activities with the first art project in March 2012. The Brazilian artist Marcelo Moscheta was invited for a two-week residency in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Plataforma Atacama is an independent platform created by the Chilean curator Alexia Tala, who seeks to invite international artists to create art and cultural projects in remote locations in Chile. Its first invitations concentrate on the Chilean Atacama Desert, as a way of activating and visualizing this location, addressing its geography, population and traditions.

National or international participating artists are not only invited to visit the area and its surroundings for several days, but also to reflect, imagine and devise art projects that consider its landscape, local history and cultural environment. Artists will visit historical areas, engage with local communities and encourage connections between people, art and culture.

Located in the north of Chile, the Atacama Desert is known as the driest desert in the world. Its stunning natural landscapes still retain local atacameño constructions, which serve as examples of an indigenous culture rich in traditions.

Plataforma Atacama believes that the artist’s experience should not culminate solely in an art exhibition and considers publications, videos, lectures and workshops with the local community and other activities as valid alternatives in which the invited artists will respond to the project.

In this first invitation, the artist Marcelo Moscheta made an intervention in the Tropic of Capricorn as part of a site-specific project. He is currently preparing a solo show at Galeria Leme, Sao Paulo for the beginning of 2013.

Plataforma Atacama´s current guest is British artist Hamish Fulton, who since 1969 has developed an artistic practice consisting of walking. His expedition is taking place at this moment with the village of Machuca as a base camp, from there he is conducting his walking project for 14 days. A second stage follows with a publication and exhibition in Galeria Nara Roesler in the city of Sao Paulo in April – 2013. Plataforma Atacama is sponsored by Explora, which collaborates by providing accommodation, equipment, materials and expedition logistics for each artist according to their individual projects.

Projects and residences
2012 – Marcelo Moscheta
2012 – Hamish Fulton