Bio
Luis Chenche (b. 1988, Ecuador) is a visual artist whose work explores the transformation of space, memory, and structure. Through drawing, installation, and research, he observes cities in transition, focusing on the quiet, often unnoticed details that carry emotional and social histories. His work reveals how architecture holds traces of human experience and how these traces shift over time.Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, he is currently based in Paris. He holds a Master II Research in Visual Arts and Contemporary Creation from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, graduating with honors, and previously studied Visual Arts at Universidad de las Artes (UArtes) in Ecuador.
Chenche is the recipient of the 2023 Michel Journiac Prize in Paris and the Paris Prize at the XIII Cuenca Biennial in Ecuador. His solo exhibitions include Subversion: Structures Beyond the Visible (2024) at the Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art in Ecuador, EN-DEMOLICIÓN (2019) at Galería Mirador UCSG, and The Nameless City (2017) at the Embassy of Ecuador in Paris.
[PDF] CV
[Email] luischenche.studio@gmail.com
[Instagram] @luis_chenche
[LINK] Interview in Coloquio Magazine
News
(upcoming)Solo Exibition
Opening July 22, 2026
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Casa Del Barrio Guayaquil, Ecuador
(past)
Les Ateliers Daguerre
Open Studios
April 11, 2026
14h - 19h
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40 Rue Boulard 75014, Paris
HORIZONS
Colective exhibition
January 15-28, 2026
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Galerie Marie 14e Paris, France
Artist Talk
with Ivanna Santoro, Fiminco Fondation
November 18, 2025
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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: Structures Beyond the Visible
Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art. Guayaquil, Ecuador
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
Del Mundanal Ruido, Cristal’s Palace of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
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
Texts
2024
Cartografías del Desarraigo : Luis Chenche y la Reinvención del Espacio Urbano
[Link]
2024
Subversión : Estructuras más allá de lo visible
Gye, Ecuador
[Link]
2019
En-Demolición
Gye, Ecuador
[Link]
2016
XIII Biennial of Cuenca
Cuenca, Ecuador
[Link]
2016
Situación Latente
Gye, Ecuador
[Link]
Press
2017
Cultural Ambassador of Ecuador to France
[Link]
2019
Chenche build strange by ruins
El Telégrafo newspaper
[Link]