{"id":3088,"date":"2025-04-03T18:32:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T18:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/03\/observer-arts-interviews-curator-and-eacheve-founder-eliana-hidalgo\/"},"modified":"2025-04-03T18:33:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T18:33:02","slug":"observer-arts-interviews-curator-and-eacheve-founder-eliana-hidalgo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/03\/observer-arts-interviews-curator-and-eacheve-founder-eliana-hidalgo\/","title":{"rendered":"Observer Arts Interviews: Curator and EACHEVE Founder Eliana Hidalgo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eliana Hidalgo-Vilaseca\u2019s work is rooted in the needs of Ecuador\u2019s creative community. Photo: Paloma Ayala<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a country where cultural infrastructure is lacking and institutional support for contemporary art is only just coming into its own, Eliana Hidalgo-Vilaseca<\/a> has spent the better part of two decades building a future for Eucador\u2019s artists, domestically and internationally. Armed with a Master\u2019s in Art Business from Sotheby\u2019s Institute of Art<\/a> in New York and a Guggenheim Fellowship, she became part of the Ecuadorian art scene when she took a coordinator position at the Museo Municipal de Guayaquil. She went on to co-found NoM\u00edNIMO, a contemporary art gallery and cultural space geared toward educating audiences and potential collectors. And when that closed, she went all in, founding EACHEVE<\/a>, a nonprofit arts organization wholly focused on supporting contemporary art and artists in Ecuador and abroad via exhibitions, scholarships and grants, collection consultancy and the publication and distribution of monographs.<\/p>\n

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To understand why Ecuador needs something like EACHEVE, you need to understand the country itself. Culturally, it has a rich visual heritage shaped by Indigenous traditions, Spanish colonial legacy, and 20th-century modernism. You might recognize the name Oswaldo Guayasam\u00edn\u2014the country\u2019s most internationally recognized artist, famous for emotionally charged expressionist paintings and murals. But today\u2019s artists\u2014those wrestling with the language of protest, gender, diaspora and displacement\u2014face a lot of challenges. There\u2019s little public funding, almost no collector base and a glaring absence of serious art education programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest problems we have in Ecuador is that even though the state owns and has a strong collection, there is a huge void in our institutional collections, and the majority of the works are all held in storage,\u201d Hidalgo-Vilaseca tells Observer. Artists depend on independent spaces like No Lugar or Kh\u00f4ra to be seen, and even established institutions like the Centro de Arte Contempor\u00e1neo de Quito and Museo Antropol\u00f3gico y de Arte Contempor\u00e1neo in Guayaquil can only do so much. Artists like Estefan\u00eda Pe\u00f1afiel Loaiza and Fabiano Kueva<\/a> have broken through internationally, but they represent the tip of an iceberg of talent waiting for wider recognition<\/p>\n

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A rendering of EACHEVE\u2019s soon-to-open permanent space in Guayaquil. Courtesy Intemperie Estudio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

EACHEVE empowers Ecuador\u2019s artists, legitimizing their work within a broader, transnational framework. Over time, it has grown its mission, mounting exhibitions like \u201cAlgo Despu\u00e9s\u201d by Ilich Castillo<\/a>, \u201cMantengo la Urgencia de Reconciliar\u201d by Sof\u00eda Salazar Rosales and more recently, \u201cLa visi\u00f3n del monte\u201d by Simon Speiser<\/a>. Hidalgo-Vilaseca has helped secure partnerships with other arts organizations around the world, including Gasworks in London, Tropical Papers in France and DEO Projects in Greece to promote Ecuadorian art internationally. Additionally, the organization has published several important monographs, catalogs and books, including Eduardo Sol\u00e1 Franco\u2019s Illustrated Diaries<\/i> and an artist\u2019s book by Roberto Noboa, 101 Contemporary Art Ecuador Vol. I<\/i>. Now, ten years in, EACHEVE is expanding again\u2014literally this time. Construction is underway for a new permanent space in Guayaquil, scheduled to open this fall, with dedicated rooms for exhibitions, learning and research.<\/p>\n

Observer recently caught up with Hidalgo-Vilaseca to find out more about the country\u2019s cultural landscape, the challenges artists and institutions are facing today and how EACHEVE\u2019s work ensures Ecuadorian artists are able to do more than just wait for a fickle international market to \u201cdiscover\u201d them.<\/p>\n

How would you describe the Ecuadorian art scene\u2014particularly the contemporary scene?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The Ecuadorian contemporary art scene is extremely diverse. That\u2019s a reflection of the country itself\u2014Ecuador is a very small country with four completely different ecosystems. One of the things that makes Ecuador so interesting is the continuous determination of artists, curators, agents, historians and collectors to build something in a country that does not have a formal art scene\u2026 there are very few art galleries (what we have is more like commercial exhibition spaces because none represent artists) and no institutions that collect\u2026 but despite all the limitations, there is a force driving these groups of people to make something happen.<\/p>\n

But in spite of these efforts, the Ecuadorian art scene remains virtually unknown internationally. For example, over the past three years that I have become more involved in international art circles, I\u2019ve noticed that almost no international players know much about what is really happening in the country. The most important art museums in the world still do not have Ecuadorian art in their collections, even though our modern period is so rich and interesting.<\/p>\n

Why does Ecuador have limited cultural infrastructure for contemporary art and artists? Can the present lack of resources be traced back to the financial crisis of the 1990s?<\/b><\/p>\n

I believe it is due to the instability of the cultural institutions where there is no long-term planning nor goals, and directors, coordinators and whole teams change constantly because most of these posts are politically linked. For sure, the financial crisis of the 1990s affected the cultural sphere\u2014the state has not collected art since then. The Central Bank Museum (now part of the Ministry of Culture) housed a very important art collection, but their collecting activities ended in the 1990s. This has had a huge impact on the promotion of the contemporary art scene.<\/p>\n

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One of the biggest problems we have in Ecuador is that even though the state owns and has a strong collection (but only until the 1980s\u2014we\u2019re close to having a 50-year gap), there is a huge void in our institutional collections, and the majority of the works are all held in storage. So while we can attribute some of the problem to limited infrastructure, there has also been complete negligence in showcasing the state collections to the public\u2026 something that could be a game changer in the way that people relate to their own art, as well as learning and understanding their culture. One of EACHEVE\u2019s recent projects sought to showcase part of the state collections and included the restoration of more than twenty pieces of modern art that were then exhibited after more than two decades in storage.<\/p>\n

In the past year, we have organized two exhibitions, lasting 7-8 months each, covering two important periods of Ecuadorian modern art history: \u201cSocial Realism\u201d and \u201cAncentralism.\u201d The \u201cAncentralism\u201d exhibition, curated by Rodolfo Kronfle Chambers<\/a>, just opened and will be on display until October 2025, with 180 pieces from the 1950s through to the 1980s. The public\u2019s positive response to such exhibitions demonstrates that there is huge interest and curiosity in learning more about the history of Ecuadorian art, not just from locals but also from people all over the world.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the Guggenheim published an article by Manuela Moscoso<\/a> that said, \u201cthe Ecuadorian art scene is undergoing a process of reflection, action and change.\u201d That was ten years ago\u2014what\u2019s been happening since?<\/b><\/p>\n

Re-reading the article reminded me of the constant battle and multiple trials some of us have confronted while working in the Ecuadorian art scene. I was one of the founders and directors of NoMINIMO art gallery, mentioned in the article as one of the driving forces in showcasing Ecuadorian art internationally, but like most of the initiatives in Ecuador, it closed in 2015. Soon after, I realized that what the scene needed was a non-profit institution that served as a bridge between Ecuador and the world.<\/p>\n

Where does the Cuenca Biennial fit in?<\/b><\/p>\n

I think the Cuenca Biennial does play an important role, particularly when thinking that its first edition was in 1987 and it is still going, which is not the case for many biennials and especially not in the region. However, while it has also suffered from the instability tied to all the cultural institutions I mentioned earlier, it is perhaps the only event that receives an international audience for the art scene.<\/p>\n

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Roberto Noboa\u2019s 101 Contemporary Art Ecuador Vol. I, published by EACHEVE. Courtesy EACHEVE<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

EACHEVE began as a way to document what was happening in contemporary art in Ecuador. How has that mission changed?<\/b><\/p>\n

I think EACHEVE\u2019s mission has not changed but has just gotten stronger. We study, educate and promote Ecuadorian art nationally and internationally. In the beginning, we were more focused on the local public, and in the past couple of years, we started to build bridges between Ecuador and the world. During COVID, I rethought my role in the art scene, and I became aware that what the scene really needed was a non-profit institution that legitimized and promoted what was going on in the country, so in that sense, yes, our mission has evolved perhaps just into a more ambitious one and far-reaching.<\/p>\n

What can you tell us about EACHEVE\u2019s new space in Guayaquil? What inspired you to want to open a space and why Guayaquil?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Intemperie Studio, a local architectural firm, proposed a series of shifted, box-like volumes of 900 square meters that will include four dedicated galleries, a library, a coffee shop, offices and a beautiful green area with a boardwalk by the river. Our goal is to create a cultural hub, an inspiring environment for artists, researchers, and visitors alike, acting as a catalyst for the growth and appreciation of visual arts within the community in Guayaquil and nationally in Ecuador.<\/p>\n

The galleries will offer a highly curated experience, including installations, special projects and temporary exhibitions, alongside the permanent opening of a new library which will serve as an invaluable resource for researchers, students and art enthusiasts, with a vast collection of art books, catalogues and archival materials.<\/p>\n

The building will be located on the bank of the Guayas River, strategically close to the airport\u2014the gateway to the Galapagos with high volumes of travelers passing by\u2014and in proximity to the key city points. Opening this space feels like the natural next step for the foundation, one that will allow us to continue producing, creating and propelling Ecuadorian art and artists on a permanent basis.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not uncommon for contemporary artists from emerging art scenes to relocate to established art hubs. Is one of your goals to keep Ecuadorian artists in Ecuador?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, this is true as well in the Ecuadorian art scene. Some Ecuadorian contemporary artists with international recognition are not based in Ecuador. One of our goals for sure is to showcase their work in Ecuador and create a connection between them and the local community. For the past two years, we have invited two Ecuadorian artists living abroad to produce a show in Guayaquil, and we created public programs around it, this way there was engagement with the local public, and we celebrated the Ecuadorian diaspora, which, like for most Latin American countries, is an important part of cultural identity.<\/p>\n

What do you hope the scene looks like in another ten years?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

I am hopeful that with EACHEVE\u2019s new building and continuous work, Ecuador and its art scene will have the space it deserves within the international art world\u2019s narrative. I hope the space will attract curators, collectors, artists and more to come and learn more about what Ecuador\u2019s art scene has to offer. I do believe this is just the beginning of something much bigger.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Inside<\/p><\/div>\n