Paz Schwencke

Biography

«A noble material that requires patience, study, experimentation and, above all, observation».

Born in Viña del Mar, the daughter of an art teacher with whom she shares a welcoming studio, she came to Coyhaique at an early age. Since then, southern landscapes and creativity have shaped the path she follows today. Her large paintings show glaciers, forests and islands: white snow contrasts with the greens of the forest and the deep blues of the water, built up plate by plate until the desired image takes shape.

After studying Tourism, she was admitted to the Viña del Mar School of Fine Arts, where she studied ceramics, printmaking, sculpture, painting, drawing and art theory. She specialised in enamel with master Olga Ruiz Contardo, who guided her towards a more spatial approach, of shapes and textures, thanks to the ductility of copper.

Paz Schwencke working in her enamel studio in Coyhaique

Timeline

2006
First exhibitions
She exhibits at the Sala Carlos Hermosilla in Viña del Mar, contrasting the coastal and southern landscapes. Later she presents “3 mujeres y el Fuego” at the Sala Lukas in Valparaíso, about the winds of Patagonia.
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2010
Return to Coyhaique
She returns to Coyhaique and founds her studio with support from SERCOTEC, applying enamelling to crafts with designs that recover the history of Aysén.
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2012
Texturas y Matices de Aysén
She is awarded a Regional FONDART Creation grant for “Texturas y Matices de Aysén”: 10 works of 120 x 80 cm exhibited at the Coyhaique library.
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2013
First prize at the Biennial
First prize at the Viña del Mar International Enamel Biennial with “Hielos del sur”, inspired by Laguna San Rafael.
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2016
New York and Paraíso del Sur
She travels to New York with PROCHILE and CORFO to present her jewellery collection. She applies to FONDART with “Paraíso del Sur”: around ten paintings of 100 x 80 cm about Coyhaique, Puerto Aysén, Puerto Cisnes and Melinka.
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2018
Arts Festival
She represents Aysén at the Valparaíso Arts Festival (Sala Centex). She takes part in the FONDART project “Nuevos Meristemas del Sur” with designer Carolina Vergara Gac (pura pampa), which combines wool and copper.
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2019
Goldsmithing and silver
Heritage Goldsmithing course (Universidad de Magallanes and Fundación Fermín Vivaceta) and introduction of silver. First prize in the statuette design competition of the Ministry of Cultures in Aysén.
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2025
Geoarte
She leads the FONDART project “Geoarte” with Ilinka Mergudich and Carolina Vergara, inspired by the geosites Cerro Castillo, Capilla de Mármol and Piedra Clavada.
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Today
Present
She is a member of the Espacio Diseño Austral cooperative and the RAVA visual artists network. She is working on a more intimate and abstract proposal about the artist's feelings and the territory.