Fernanda X. Oyarzún

As a visual artist and biological researcher, I explore the world through process and place-based interdisciplinary practices. I am interested in exploring conceptions of the individual in humans and non-humans, their ecology, and ways of making sense of the world. My scientific research, which fuels and weaves into my arts and science explorations, is based on the ecology and evolution of life history in marine invertebrates. Navigating through my artistic and scientific research, I have become intrigued by uncertainty, time, and how holobionts – these interconnected watery ecosystems – generate beauty and knowledge.

I hold a PhD in Biology from the University of Washington (USA) and graduated in Biology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. I am a Fulbright Scholar and also a graduate of the Program for Interdisciplinary Pedagogy at UW Bothell. Additionally, I acquired a Certificate in Editorial Design from the University of Chile and received training in Scientific Illustration at UW. My artistic practice is rooted in clay and ceramic sculpture, which I learned at the Art department of the University of Washington and at Pottery Northwest while pursuing my PhD in Biology. As a result of my path, my sculpture delves into epistemological and interdisciplinary themes related to ecology, evolution, and marine socio-ecological knowledge in coastal areas. Among the many mentors that I have had the fortune to meet during my journey, I am most deeply grateful to the artists Doug Jeck, Tip Toland, Akio Takamori, and Jamie Walker, to the philosopher Lynn Hankinson-Nelson and the scientists Richard and Megumi Strathmann, Martha Groom, Miriam Fernández, and Rebecca Price. I am grateful to have done residencies at the Artist-at-Sea Program of the Schmidt Ocean Institute and at Friday Harbor Laboratories. My artwork has been featured in exhibitions both in Chile and abroad, including at the Creataquarium (Greece), at the Ocean Science Meeting 2020 in San Diego (USA), and at the Personal Structures Biennial in Venice (Italy).

I have co-founded several interdisciplinary co-creative projects, including “Bienal Concepción, Arte & Ciencia” and “Tiempos de Muralismo.” Additionally, I have co-created projects focused on interdisciplinary pedagogy, communication, and visualization of science, such as “ASKXXI: Art + Science Knowledge Building and Sharing in the XXI Century,” conducted in collaboration with the US Embassy, and “Robsonella Project,” an educational contemporary illustration project co-founded with Felipe Portilla. At present, I am working as an associate researcher at the Instituto Milenio in Socioecología Costera SECOS, and I am an active member of the “Artistas por la Ciencia” collective. In addition to my collaborative projects, I also work independently as a visual artist in my studio.