Bio
Luis Chenche lives and works between France and Ecuador, based in Paris where he obtained a Master II Recherche in Plastic Arts and Contemporary Creation at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University with honors. He previously studied Visual Arts at Uartes (University of the Arts) in Ecuador. His artistic approach sets him apart as an observer of elements and aspects of urban transformation, where his interests focus on reinterpreting the latent elements that inhabit these spaces, which are often imperceptible.
Chenche is the winner of the 2023 Michel Journiac Prize from the Michel Journiac Gallery in Paris and the Paris Prize at the XIII Biennial of Cuenca, Ecuador, among other awards and artistic residencies. He has had solo exhibitions such as “SUBVERSION: Structures Beyond the Visible,” presented in 2024 at the Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art in Ecuador; “EN-DEMOLICIóN” at the Mirador UCSG Gallery, Ecuador, 2019; and “The Nameless City” at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Paris, France, 2017.
[PDF] CV
[Email] luischenche.studio@gmail.com
[Instagram] @luis_chenche
News
(upcoming)
HORIZONS
Colective exhibition
January 15-28, 2026
_
Galerie Marie 14e Paris, France
(past)
Beyond coordinates
Artist Talk
with Ivanna Santoro, Fiminco Fondation
November 18, 2025
_
Paris, France
Statement
Luis Chenche's practice confronts the agonizing gestures of spaces and elements undergoing a liminal crisis of disappearance. Through a creative process, he seeks to reconcile aspects of everyday life that are directly related to the visual resources of architecture. This is how drawing becomes the central medium of his research, a space for reflection where his hand documents, interprets, and reconstructs. From this discipline, he addresses a conceptual triad around Liminality: Body, Space, and Ruins.
Chenche sees drawing as an opportunity to observe unofficial urban spaces—forgotten places, ruins, and rubble—with the intention of transforming them into poetic possibilities that invite reflection on our contemporary society. His artistic proposal positions him as an observer of urban transformations, where his interest lies in reinterpreting the latent elements that inhabit these spaces, which are often imperceptible.
This methodology allows him to raise questions about the very existence of objects and their relationship with the urban environment. He finds his connection to drawing in the meticulousness of the line, in observational drawing and topographical study, giving the ordinary a monumental dignity. As in his approach, Chenche seeks not only to represent, but to delve beneath the surface of the visible to reveal layers of memory, history, and transformation.
With an affinity for media such as painting, installation, photography, and video, it is in drawing that he finds his primary language. Many of his works refer to a formal study of topography, characterized by a high level of detail and a meticulousness that invites careful observation. Through his work, he seeks not only to express, but also to provoke a dialogue about the nature of places, their value, and the human condition amid the ruins of the urban experience.
SUBVERSION: Estructuras más allá de lo visible. Anthropological and Contemporary Art Museum, MAAC. Ecuador
Photos: @Ricardo Bohórquez
Laoreet Cursus Semper — 1992-1995
Vivamus, Ipsum
Laoreet Semper (ipsum) — 1983-1985
Lacinia, Lacinia
Crónicas del paisaje I y II. Del Mundanal Ruido, Cristal’s Palace of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Photos: @Ricardo Bohórquez
Photos: @Ricardo Bohórquez
Laoreet Cursus Semper — 1992-1995
Vivamus, Ipsum
Laoreet Semper (ipsum) — 1983-1985
Lacinia, Lacinia
Laoreet Semper (ipsum) — 1983-1985
Lacinia, Lacinia
Laoreet Cursus Semper — 1992-1995
Vivamus, Ipsum
Laoreet Semper (ipsum) — 1983-1985
Lacinia, Lacinia
IMMERSION. Installation, L’airs Art. Paris, France
Ipsum Tellus nisi sed Ipsum Nunc sed a Ipsum Nunc Magna
A + U E8803 Ipsum Vestibulum
Ipsum Tellus nisi sed Ipsum Nunc sed a Ipsum Nunc Magna sed Donec Nullam
A + U E8803 Ipsum Vestibulum
Ipsum Tellus nisi sed Ipsum Nunc sed a Ipsum Nunc Magna
A + U E8803 Ipsum Vestibulum
Ipsum Tellus nisi sed Ipsum Nunc sed a Ipsum Nunc Magna sed Donec Nullam
A + U E8803 Ipsum Vestibulum
Ipsum Tellus nisi sed Ipsum Nunc sed a Ipsum Nunc Magna
A + U E8803 Ipsum Vestibulum
Ipsum Tellus nisi sed Ipsum Nunc sed a Ipsum Nunc Magna sed Donec Nullam
A + U E8803 Ipsum Vestibulum
Ipsum Tellus nisi sed Ipsum Nunc sed a Ipsum Nunc Magna
A + U E8803 Ipsum Vestibulum
Allá, donde el horizonte habita. Galerie Michel Journiac. Paris, France
Artistic Residency
2021 In-situ & upciclyng Art Residency. L’air Arts, Paris, France
2019 Art Research Residency L’air Arts. Paris, France
2018 La Factoría. Manglaralto, Ecuador
2017 La Cité internationale des Arts. Paris, France
Awards
2023 Prix Michel Journiac. Galerie Michel Journiac, Paris, France
2016 Paris Prize. Artistic residence in La Cité
internationale des Arts/Paris, XIII Bienal de Cuenca,
Cuenca, Ecuador
2015 Second Prize. Salón de Junio Machala, 6th Edition,
Casa Municipal de Arte y Cultura. Machala, Ecuador
2014 Second Prize. Salón de Octubre 56th Edition,
Casa de la Cultura, Guayaquil, Ecuador
2014 Revelation Young Artist. Salón de Octubre 56th Edition,
Casa de la Cultura, Guayaquil, Ecuador
2013 Mention of Honor. Provincial Outdoor Painting Competition,
Guayaquil, Ecuador
2012 Second Prize. Painting Contest “Patrimonios
Naturales-Los Ríos del Guayas” Prefectura del Guayas,
Guayaquil, Ecuador
SUBVERSION: Estructuras más
allá de lo visible
MAAC
Ecuador
2024
A la manera del tiempo
Embassy of Ecuador
Paris, France.
2024
EN-DEMOLICION
Galerie UCSG
Ecuador
2017
Situación latente
Chenche’s studio
Ecuador
2016
Open studio
La nuit des Ateliers Daguerres
04.10.2025
Paris, France
Latinismo Art & Education
Future holds something for us
12.04.2025
New York, USA
Casa Ecuador
Showcase Ecuadorian Contemporary art
05.03.2025
Madrid, Spain
Radicar/Radi’kar
Poush
06.04.2024
Paris, France
Capharnaum Urbain
Galerie La Ferronnerie
28.03.2023
Paris, France
BienalSur
Un giro sin tornillo:
imaginaciones urbanas
26.09.2021
Buenos Aires, Argentine
[PDF] CV