Sandra Vásquez de la Horra Recipient of the 2023 Käthe-Kollwitz Prize

As an artist now residing in Berlin, Vásquez de la Horra grew up during a time dominated by over 17 years of torture, disappearances (Desaparecidos), and numerous human rights violations following the military junta's coup in 1973 and the subsequent rise of Augusto Pinochet to power. It was only after Chile's return to democracy in 1990 that the population could reexamine the country's history. The history of Chile has profoundly influenced Sandra Vásquez de la Horra's artistic work, as has her exploration of her own family history, the history and mythologies of the indigenous population, and the brutal colonial rule of Europeans in Central and South America.

At the core of Vásquez de la Horra's drawings, sculptures, and installations lies the depiction of human beings in their social and societal environments. Her large and small format drawings on paper and cardboard thrive on precision, compression, and vibrant colors. She submerges a portion of her drawings in a wax bath, a treatment that adds depth and enhances the paper's stability, resulting in leporello folds and creating spatial objects.

Image and copyright : Sandra Vásquez de la Horra