Artist Statement

My practice is centered in the subjects of colonialism, identity and othering. I examine these themes through paintings that feature strange humanoid creatures made up of elements from nature. These beings are created through an understanding of the cultural and historical symbolism of certain plants or animals. Since different species are associated with different meanings, depending on time and context, they become a mechanism to explore complex subjects. The use of metaphor in this way makes for narrative paintings that use surreal characters to tackle real world issues. Thus, fantasy for the sake of reality.

Plantain People

Amongst the more recurrent creatures in my work there is, for instance, plantain-people. This came from considering the term "banana republic", an expression meant to refer to the political instability and chaos of South American nations. In the early twentieth century, massive foreign corporations established banana plantations in the continent. To benefit them, local democratic governments were overthrown and dictatorships that served their ambitions were installed. Plantains thus, become a token of a history of colonialism and foreign interventions. A humanoid plantain represents the people whose lives are entrenched with this history.

Vampire Orchids

Also, a particular endemic orchid from Ecuador called ‘dracula vampira’ to represent corruption. They are an Epiphytic species, they grow on top of other plants and extend their roots around them. Unlike the people they are meant to represent, they are not really parasitic. However, their scientific name, as they are part of the Dracula genus, and their appearance gives them the qualities to visually represent villainous forces. Their petals have dark purple veins and its center features a pink piece that looks like a smiling mouth. This vampiric relationship makes for a sharp metaphor of the powerful sustaining their stature through exploitation. The orchid genus Dracula consists of more than a hundred species native to Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Central America and Mexico.

Bio

Ariana R. Orozco (b. 1999) is a visual artist from Ecuador whose work examines social issues through humanoid characters made up of elements from nature. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from the USFQ in Quito. Her career came to a start after receiving the New Mariano Aguilera Art Prize in 2022 and thus exhibiting her project 'Dichos para una Niñez Ejemplar' at the CAC, Center of Cotemporary Art of Quito.

In 2023 she moved to Seoul, South Korea, to pursue an MFA in Oriental Painting. There she held two solo exhibitions, 'Alien Species' and 'Dystopian Garden', and was showcased in a number of group exhibitions. In the present, she lives and works from Munich, Germany.

CV

1999 born in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

based in Munich, Germany.

Education

South Korea

  • 2024 – 2026 | MFA Oriental Painting. Sungshin Women’s University.

Ecuador

  • 2017 – 2021 | BA in Liberal Arts. University of San Francisco in Quito USFQ

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2026 | Dystopian Garden. S101. Seoul, South Korea.

  • 2026 | 외래종 Alien Species. MilimArt Gallery. Seoul, South Korea.

  • 2023 | Dichos para una niñez ejemplar Proverbs for the Exemplary Child. CAC Center of Contemporary Art. Quito, Ecuador.

Group Exhibitions

  • 2026 | 영켜보린 끈 푸는중 As the ropes untangle. Noedul Island Gallery, Seoul South Korea.

  • 2025 | 장바구니를 비우는 법 How to Empty a Shopping Basket. Seongbuk Museum of Art. Seoul, South Korea.

  • 2025 | 장바구니를 비우는 법 How to Empty a Shopping Basket. Seminar Exhibition Department of Oriental Painting, Sungshin Women’s University. Seoul, South Korea.

  • 2025 | 이랜드 문화재단 16기 공모 전시 16th Open Call Shortlist Show. E-Land Cultural Foundation. Seoul, South Korea.

  • 2025 | 씻나락 까먹는 소리 The Sounds of Nonsense, Dapsimni Art Lab. Seoul, South Korea.

  • 2024 | A의 시선으로부터 From the Perspective of A. Seminar Exhibition Department of Oriental Painting, Sungshin Women’s University. Seoul, South Korea.

  • 2022 | Salón de Proyectos Project’s Hall. CAC Center of Contemporary Art. Quito, Ecuador.

Prizes

  • 2023 | Darío Guevara Mayorga Literary Prize.

  • 2022 | Nuevo Premio Mariano Aguilera Art Prize.

Publications

  • 2025 | <장바구니를 비우는 법> How to Empty a Shopping Basket. Exhibition Catalog.

  • 2025 | Mariano Aguilera Art Prize. Catalog IV Edition. PMA IV.

  • 2024 | <A의 시선으로부터> From the Perspective of A. Exhibition Catalog.

  • 2023 | En la Punta del Meñique At the tip of the fingertip. Editorial El Fakir.