Cecilia Vicuña on Art, Exile, and Resisting the 'Enslaving Machine' of Modern Life
At the age of 77, Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña explores themes of ecological collapse, Indigenous traditions, and human rights through her creations, including 'quipus' or 'precarios,' as well as paintings, performances, and poetry. Her artistic focus highlights environmental devastation in regions like the Amazon and Atacama. Since the 1973 Pinochet coup, she has lived in exile and has achieved global acclaim, receiving the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Biennale and the Icon Artist Gold Medal at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2025. Her solo show, 'Cecilia Vicuña: Reverse Migration, a Poetic Journey,' is on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art until July 2026, while 'Quipu of Encounters: The Dream of Water' will debut at MOCA Los Angeles in November 2026. Vicuña critiques the culture of self-improvement and underscores the enduring nature of poetry.
Key facts
- Cecilia Vicuña is a 77-year-old Chilean artist living in Tribeca, New York.
- Her work addresses ecological collapse, human rights, and Indigenous traditions through sculptures, paintings, performances, and poetry.
- She has lived in exile since the 1973 Pinochet coup, after studying at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.
- Vicuña won the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Biennale and the inaugural Icon Artist Gold Medal at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2025.
- A solo show is at the Irish Museum of Modern Art through July 2026; MOCA Los Angeles will present a new commission in November 2026.
- She practices Shavasana multiple times daily and walks by the Hudson River as cleansing rituals.
- Vicuña criticizes digital devices as an 'enslaving machine' and views busyness as a sign of enslavement, not success.
- Her poetry line 'Tu rabia es tu oro' was used during Chile's 2019 'October Revolution.'
Entities
Artists
- Cecilia Vicuña
- Julia Toro
- Karl Marx
- Pablo Picasso
- Paul McCarthy
- Gabby Windey
- Bryan Stevenson
- James O'Hern
Institutions
- Slade School of Fine Art
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- MOCA Los Angeles
- Venice Biennale
- Art Basel Miami Beach
- Lehmann Maupin
- Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize
- CULTURED
- Guggenheim
Locations
- Chile
- Santiago
- Concón
- London
- United Kingdom
- Tribeca
- New York
- USA
- Hudson River
- Venice
- Italy
- Miami Beach
- Florida
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Los Angeles
- California
- Bogotá
- Colombia
- Andes
- Amazon rainforest
- Atacama
- Europe