ROSARIOVeMe
VISUAL ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR
My name is Rosario VeMe (Rosario Vásquez Mira) and I am a Traveling Visual Artist and Illustrator born in Santiago de Chile in 1990. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts & Humanities in Artistic Expression and Hispanic American Literature from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
In 2014 I started developing my printmaking artwork at Taller K (K Printmaking Studio) in Santiago. Later that year I traveled to Guatemala and volunteered there teaching art - mostly drawing and watercolors - in native communities in San Mateo and Antigua Ciudad Vieja.
In 2015 I moved to Australia and developed the "Goomboora Park" project, a watercolor series created during an Artist Residency at the Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns, Australia. The project showed children's interactions at the park and how by shaping urban parkland we could shape community. The artwork remains there as a permanent exhibition at Cairns Regional Council.
I continued to develop art projects while traveling through different countries in the following years. After leaving Australia at the end of 2016, I worked in collaboration with the Monfai Cultural Centre in Thailand to create "The Central Market Project", a watercolor series developed during an Artist Residency at Ne'-Na Contemporary Art Space in Chiang Mai, Thailand in April 2017. It intends to show the vivacious and colorful activity that takes place at Chiang Mai's Central Market.
A few months later I was working on another project in Europe titled "BREAKING- FREE- TOGETHER" - a printmaking series developed during an Artist Residency at AGA LAB Studio in Amsterdam, Holland in July 2017. The project makes a statement about the need to work together to achieve gender equality and equal rights for all.
In 2018 I returned to Guatemala to continue volunteering teaching art in native communities in Antigua. In collaboration with EducArte and Proyecto Capaz we put together a Mixed Technique on Paper Workshop for children of all ages living in vulnerable situations around the city. After a month of intensive work with the children we had an Exhibition titled "Colores que hablan" showing their artwork to the community. During my time in Antigua I also worked on a self-managed illustration project that intended to raise awareness of the deficient social and economic structures that impact many Guatemalan social groups, especially women and children in native communities. Later in the year I traveled back to Santiago so I could work on other illustration projects. I also created a series of large format works using mixed technique on paper and started a line of illustrated products.
In February of 2019 I left Chile again, this time I searched for inspiration in the African Continent. I traveled around Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. I finally settled in Moshi - a town in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. While I was there I worked on a series of illustrations that allowed me to portray what I had seen on my journey and my experience living in Moshi.
In 2020 I returned to Santiago where I continued to work on my Artwork and Illustrations as well as investigate posible project ideas and collaboration opportunities in Chile. Some aspects of my art practice were still being stalled by the pandemic in 2021 (Chile had very strict sanitary policies and the economy was extremely hindered) and it was only at the end of 2022 that I was able to better resume my work.
In 2023 I moved to Stavanger, Norway, were I am now based. My latest paintings are a series of acrylics I made from the basement flat where I used to live with my husband in Tananger. We now live in the center of Stavanger where I continue to produce artwork.
In August of 2024, I launched my own online store where I sell my original artworks, illustrations and illustrated products with shipping services covering all of Norway.
Soy Rosario VeMe -seudónimo de Rosario Vásquez Mira- y soy una artista e ilustradora viajera nacida en Santiago de Chile en 1990. Me gradué con una Licenciatura en Arte y Humanidades de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, completando los Majors de Expresión Artística y Literatura en el año 2013.
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En el 2014 empecé a desarrollarme en Grabado en el Taller K en Santiago. Unos meses después viajé a Guatemala para trabajar como voluntaria enseñando arte -principalmente dibujo y acuarela- en comunidades de San Mateo y Antigua Ciudad Vieja.
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En el año 2015 me fui a vivir a Australia donde hice el proyecto "Goomboora Park", una serie de acuarelas realizadas durante una Residencia Artística en el Tanks Arts Centre de Cairns, Australia. El proyecto muestra las interacciones de los niños en el parque y como al construir espacios naturales podemos formar comunidad. Las obras permanecen ahí como exposición permanente en Cairns Regional Council (Municipalidad de Cairns).
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Continué desarrollando proyectos artísticos mientras viajaba por distintos países. Después de irme de Australia, a finales del 2016, trabajé en colaboración con el Centro Cultural Monfai en Tailandia para crear "The Central Market Project" (El proyecto del Mercado Central") una serie de acuarelas desarrolladas durante una Residencia Artística en Ne'Na' Contemporary Art Space en Chiang Mai, Tailandia, en Abril del 2017. Busca mostrar la pintoresca actividad que toma lugar en el Mercado Central de Chiang Mai.
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Unos meses después trabajé en otro proyecto en Europa titulado "BREAKING- FREE- TOGETHER", una serie de grabados realizados durante una Residencia Artística en AGA LAB Studio en Amsterdam, Holanda en Julio del 2017. El proyecto busca hacer un llamado a trabajar juntos para lograr igualdad de género y los mismos derechos para todos.
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En el 2018 regresé a Guatemala para continuar con mi trabajo voluntario enseñando arte en comunidades de Antigua. En colaboración con EducArte y Proyecto Capaz realicé un taller de técnica mixta sobre papel para niños de todas las edades viviendo en situaciones vulnerables en la ciudad. Luego de un mes de trabajo intensivo con los niños tuvimos una Exposición que se llamó "Colores que Hablan", mostrando así el arte de los niños a la comunidad. Durante mi tiempo en Antigua también trabajé en un proyecto de ilustración autogestionado que buscaba crear conciencia sobre las carencias sociales y económicas que impactan a muchas comunidades y grupos sociales en Guatemala, en especial a las mujeres y niños indígenas. Unos meses después volví a Santiago para trabajar en otros proyectos de ilustración. También cree una serie de obras de gran formato en técnica mixta sobre papel y empecé una linea de productos ilustrados.
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En febrero del 2019 me fui de Chile nuevamente y esta vez busqué inspiración en el continente africano. Viajé por Zimbabue, Botsuana, Zambia, Malaui y Tanzania. Finalmente me quedé en Moshi- un pueblo que está en la región del Kilimanjaro en Tanzania. Cuando estaba ahí trabajé en una serie de ilustraciones que me permitieron retratar lo que vi durante mi viaje y mis experiencias viviendo en Moshi.
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En el año 2020 volví a Santiago, donde continué trabajando en mis obras de arte e ilustraciones. Siempre investigando para nuevos posibles proyectos y alerta a nuevas oportunidades de colaboración en Chile. Algunos aspectos de mi práctica artística se vieron pausados por la pandemia y fue recién en el 2022 que pude retomarlos.
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En el año 2023 me vine a vivir a Stavanger, Noruega. Mis últimos trabajos son una serie de acrílicos sobre papel que hice desde el departamento subterráneo donde vivía con mi marido en Tananger. Ahora vivimos en el centro de Stavanger donde continúo produciendo arte.
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En Agosto del 2024, abrÍ mi primera tienda online donde vendo mis obras de arte, ilustraciones y productos ilustrados con servicios de envío a toda Noruega.
Education:
2013 Bachelor of Arts & Humanities. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Major: Artistic Expression Major
Major: Literature Major
2014 Printmaking at "Taller K".
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Solo Exhibitions:
2015 (January) "Desconexiones y Conexiones" Galería oOps! Santiago, Chile.
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Collective Exhibitions:
2015 (Sept-Nov) "Gippsland Print Award" Gippsland Art Gallery. Gippsland, Australia.
2016 (May15 - June16) "Goomboora Park" Tanks Arts Centre.
Cairns, Australia. Opening May 15th at the Cairns Children's Festival. *Five of the paintings were bought by the Cairns Regional Counsil and remain there as a permanent exhibition.
2017 (April) “AiR Exhibition” The Central Market Project.
Ne’ Na’ Contemporary Art Space. Monfai Cultural Centre. Chiang Mai, Thailand.
2017 (July) “System Adjustment”. AGA LAB (Amsterdams Grafisch Atelier). Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2018 – 2019 (Nov- March) “Ekilibrio”. Museo Internacional de la Gráfica de Chillán (International Museum of Graphics Chillán). Chillán, Chile.
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2022 "Untitled". Unobvious Lab. Lisbon, Portugal.
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Press:
Bumma Bippera Media (BBM) Radio Station. Interview about the "Goomboora Park" project. Friday 29th April 2016. Interviewer: Matty Motlop. Cairns, Australia.
TVQuetzachapin.Tv (Online Channel and Radio Station). Interview about the “Colores que hablan” Children’s Workshop and Exhibition at EducArte Community Centre. March 16th, 2018.
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Artist Residencies:
2015 (July- August) Tanks Arts Centre. Cairns, Australia.
2016 (April-May) Tanks Arts Centre. Cairns, Australia.
2017 (April) Ne’Na’ Contemporary Art Space. Monfai Cultural Centre.
2017 (July) AGA LAB (Amsterdams Grafisch Atelier). Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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Other Art Projects:
2018 “Dolores Guatemaltecos”. Illustrations that intend to report many of the issues that affect the Mayan people in Guatemala, including malnutrition, gender inequality, children and teenage pregnancy, corruption, among others. Antigua, Guatemala.
2019 “Dolores Africanos”. Illustrations that intend to portray different everyday African scenes and situations around Zimbabwe, Bostwana, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, as well as my experience living in Moshi, Tanzania.
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2020 "Las Encuarentenadas". Illustrations that depict emotions and activities happening at home during the 2020 lockdowns in Santiago de Chile due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Workshops Teaching Art:
2014 Volunteer Workshops teaching art in Guatemala: EducArte Community Centre, Antigua, Guatemala and Semilla de Esperanza y Amor Centre, San Mateo, Guatemala.
2016 "Painting at the Park with Rosario": Watercolour workshops for children at Goomboora Park in Cairns, Australia.
2018 “Colors that speak” (Colores que hablan) Mixed technique on paper workshop for vulnerable children in Antigua, Guatemala. Project organized with EducArte Community Centre and Proyecto Capaz in Guatemala.
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Curatorial Work:
2018 “Colores que hablan” (Colors that speak). Children’s Exhibition at EducArte Community Centre in Antigua, Guatemala.