Born in Rome in 1977 during the exile of her parents, Viera-Gallo returned to Chile in 1984 to study art at the Catholic University of Santiago de Chile. She has been living in New York since 2005.
“Over the past ten years, my work has explored memory from my own experience as an immigrant. Analyzing different processes of political and social instability, it intersects with the idea of ever-evolving memory. Since 2013 , my mind is in ongoing project call “JAUJA” questions the concept of a border beyond the idea of a geographical crossing, addressing the issue as both the reality of, and the dream for a better future—a risky move that begins with a rupture to undertake such a journey. This dream transcends the individual and becomes part of a lineage that includes many others who leave behind a record or documentation that allows us to recognize – following their footsteps – a collective hope.
My artistic practice presents an eclectic body of work that includes painting, sculpture, photography, and video, typically in an installation setting. Its focus is always on subsuming serious themes and topics into the fantastical and darkly comical, combined with a desire to use raw settings and materials to hopefully tease out the ultimate depiction of sociopolitical and human relationships”.
Manuela Viera Gallo shows internationally. Solo shows include: La Central Gallery, Bogota, Colombia (2013), Aninat Gallery, Santiago, Chile (2013), Y Gallery, New York. USA (2010), Valenzuela & Klenner Foundation, Bogota, Colombia (2007), Broadway 1602 Gallery, New York, USA (2007), Die Ecke Gallery, Santiago, Chile (2006; Rebecca Container Gallery, Genova, Italy (2005); 24/7 Gallery, East End London, UK (2002. She has participated in several group shows at Museo del Barrio, Art Museum of the Americas, 10th Biennale of video and media Arts of Chile, CIF, Camdem International Film Festival, Asymmetrick Arts Center, Chelsea Art Museum, East Asia Contemporary Museum or 5th Biennial do Mercosur, among others.
Her work is featured in public and private collections in Chile and the USA.
This residency in supported in part by the ongoing studio partnership with Residency Unlimited.