Fernando Gómez Balbontín (1981), is a Chilean artist and architect who has been creating and painting as a way of questioning and resisting his environment since childhood. His creative process involves pictorial experimentation, traveling between figurative and abstract art.
His work consists of building a portrait of western consumer society by using recognizable elements such as destroyed technological bulks, phalluses and virgins. These emotionally charged imagery allows him to express a unique perspective on the links between death, consumption and religion.
His paintings have been exhibited internationally and are part of private collections in Chile, China, the United Kingdom and the United States.
photo: Alejandro Hernandez
RESIDENCIES
2014
Da Wang Culture Highland, Shenzhen, China.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018
Desfiguración. November. CIMA Gallery, Santiago, Chile.
2015
Una nueva religión. December. Bautista Gallery, Santiago, Chile.
2014
Thoughts about life and death. April – May. Da Wang Culture Highland, A building gallery, Shenzhen, China.
2011
Li, Cultural Corporation of Las Condes. Santiago, Chile.
2000
Obras recopiladas, Del Desarrollo University. Organized by Cumbres School . Santiago, Chile.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019
The Other Art Fair. May. Brooklyn Expo Center, NY, US.
2012
100 curators, 100 days, Virtual Collection, curated by Kira Sjöberg. Saatchi Online Gallery.
2011 – 2012
Cabezaderatón. Museum of Visual Arts (MAVI). Santiago, Chile.
2011
Art Paris. Saatchi Online Gallery. Paris, France.
2008
Year-end exhibition. Patricia Ready Gallery. Santiago, Chile.
Hombre al Desnudo. Praxis Gallery. Santiago, Chile..
2000 – 2001
Arte Actual Gallery . Santiago, Chile.
1996
SANTAM. Tajamares Museum, organized by the Embassy of South Africa together with the Cultural Corporation of Providencia. Santiago, Chile.
AWARDS
2011
Cabeza de ratón contest. Third place. Museum of Visual Arts (MAVI). Santiago, Chile.
Finalist in Showdown No5 contest, Saatchi Online Gallery.
2003 – 2006
Scholarship for Architecture development. Municipalidad de las Condes, Santiago, Chile
2003 – 2005
Scholarship for Architecture development, Finis Terrae University. Santiago, Chile.
2004
Scholarship for Architecture Development, Finis Terrae University. Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
1999
First place in Interscholastic painting contest, organized by Deutsche Schule. Santiago, Chile.
1996
Selected in International Student Art contest SANTAM, organized by South African embassy together with cultural corporation of Providencia. Santiago, Chile.
COLLECTIONS (PUBLIC / PRIVATE)
Museum of Visual Arts (MAVI)
Andrew Sirotnik, private collection, Seattle, US
Cara Hoepners, private collection, San Francisco, CA
Jeff Whitman, private collection, San Francisco, CA
Monica Weiler, private collection, London, UK
Zhang Yufang, private collection, China
Claudio Perez, private collection, Santiago, Chile.
Simcha Freifeld, private collection, NY, US