Contributor

Adrián Balseca (b. 1989 in Quito, Ecuador) lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His practice aims to activate strategies of representation, narration, and/or interaction in order to highlight the ecosystem of a particular territory. Balseca’s research focuses on several social-environmental agendas within “extractivist” dynamics. Each proposal has been associated with historico-economic processes that are relevant to the consolidation of the Modern State project in Ecuador, while, at the same time, is located within globally relevant environmental issues.

In his work, these struggles are underlined by implementing mythological narratives that refer to the extraction of natural resources, and traditional notions of progress and development in capitalist culture. The research process behind each project ultimately reveals hidden histories in the folds of Latin American politics, dismantling colonial constructs. His analysis of specific social-environmental agendas within extractivist economies of modern history has led to a series of projects in a wide range of formats such as film, site-specific installation, sculptural objects, and photography, bringing to life ironic allegories on late capitalism. This production relies on a process of rigorous investigation and dynamic association, provoking unexpected references that include elements of popular culture, art history, and social history. Balseca’s projects synthesize complex contemporary landscapes while navigating the contradictions found within modernity’s promises.