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 Recherche in Plastic 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)
Travel to San Francisco, California
May 3-June 21, 2026
(past)
Les Ateliers Daguerre
Open Studios
April 11, 2026
14h - 19h
_
40 Rue Boulard 75014, Paris
HORIZONS
Colective exhibition
January 15-28, 2026
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Galerie Marie 14e Paris, France
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: 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
Artistic Residency
2026
Studio at Les ateliers Daguerre.
Paris, France
[Link]
2021
In-situ and upcycling 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 Residency at La Cité internationale des Arts, Paris. XIII Cuenca Biennial.
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
Emerging Artist Award.
Salón de Octubre, 56th Edition. Casa de la Cultura. Guayaquil, Ecuador
2013
Honorable Mention. Provincial Outdoor Painting Competition. Guayaquil, Ecuador
2012
Second Prize. Painting Contest “Natural Heritage – The Rivers of Guayas.” Prefecture of Guayas. Guayaquil, Ecuador
2024
SUBVERSION:
estructuras más allá de lo visible.
Anthropological and Contemporary Art Museum (MAAC). Guayaquil, Ecuador.
A LA MANERA DEL TIEMPO.
Embassy of Ecuador.
Paris, France.
2019
EN DEMOLICIÓN.
Mirador Gallery,
University of Santiago de Guayaquil (UCSG).
Guayaquil, Ecuador.
2017
THE NAMELESS CITY.
Embassy of Ecuador.
Paris, France.
2016
SITUACIÓN LATENTE.
Guayaquil, Ecuador.
2026
Open studio // Mural presentation.
La nuit des Ateliers Daguerres
Paris, France
[Link]
Horizons
Galerie du Montparnasse.
Paris, France
[Link]
2025
Open studio. La nuit des Ateliers Daguerres
Paris, France
The Future Holds Something for Us.
Latinismo Art & Education.
New York City, New York
Casa Ecuador showcase for ARCO fair.
Curated by Pily Estrada and
Museo Antropológico y de Arte Contemporáneo MAAC.
Madrid, Spain
2024
radicar raði’kar.
Poush. Auvervilliers, France
2023
Capharnaüm URBAIN.
Galerie La Ferronnerie.
Paris, France
JUST AVANT, Prix Michel Journiac.
Galerie Michel Journiac.
Paris, France
Journée Portes Ouvertes.
Ecole des Arts de l’ Université.
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Paris, France
2022
National Architectures Days.
“Architecture to live in”.
L’air Arts.
Paris, France
Neighbors / Voisin.e.s.
Atelier 11 Cité Falguière. L’air Arts.
Paris, France
CLARABOYAS: Espacios en desuso.
Taller Maldonado Gallery.
Gye, Ecuador
PRIX DE DESSIN PIERRE DAVID-WEILL.
Académie de Beaux Arts.
Paris, France
DEMOLUTION. KL8exhibition Gallery.
Brussels, Belgium
2021
TRANSITO 82/16.
E spacio Cultural Plaza de la Fuente.
Gye, Ecuador
BIENALSUR. A Turn Without a Screw: Urban Imaginations.
Buenos Aires, Argentine
2020
SINERGIA 2.0 Proyecto Nasa
Guayaquil, Ecuador
SITE VISIT. Artland & L’air Arts.
Paris, France
Transformations.
Panamerican Architecture Biennial of Quito.
Quito, Ecuador
2019
ArteBa. International Art Fair.
Buenos Aires, Argentine
2018
Salón de Julio, 59th Edition.
Museo Municipal de Guayaquil.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
2017
Lo-FI: Baja Calidad y Virtud.
Violenta Gallery.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
3th Edición Premio.
Brasil, Arte emergente.
Quito, Ecuador
Del Mundanal Ruido, Funka Fest.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Open Studio. La Cité Internationale des Arts.
Paris, France
So Arty. Les traversées du Marais à contretemps.
Paris, France
Material Gris. Violenta Gallery.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
2016
XIII Bienal de Cuenca. IMPERMANENCIA.
Cuenca, Ecuador
ROMPEFLASCHE
Austauschprojekt/interchange project CAC Centro de Arte Contemporáneo.
Ecuador & Germany
Salón de Octubre 58th Edition. Casa de la Cultura.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Tránsito 82/16. Dpm Gallery.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
A Fin. Taller Preludio.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
2015
Festival de Artes al Aire Libre.
Museo Municipal de Guayaquil.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Salón de Julio, 56th edición.
Museo Municipalde Guayaquil. Guayaquil, Ecuador
Salón de Junio Machala, 6th Edition.
Casa Municipal de Arte y Cultura. Machala, Ecuador
Andamios de vigilia. Dpm Gallery.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
2014
Festival de Artes al Aire Libre.
Museo Municipal de Guayaquil.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Salón de Octubre 56th Edition,
Casa de la Cultura.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Propensiones.
Museo de los Metales,
Brigada de Dibujantes ITAE.
Cuenca, Ecuador
2013
Salón de Octubre 55th Edition.
Casa de la Cultura.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Espacio Si, Lugar No, Barrio Domingo Savio, Proyecto Brigada de Dibujantes.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Símbolos Patrimoniales de la identidad Chola,
Asociación Cultural Las Peñas.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
2012
Patrimoni os Naturales-Los Ríos del Guayas.
Anthropological and Contemporary Art Museum (MAAC).
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Patrimonios Naturales-Los Ríos del Guayas.
Museo Nahin Isaías.
Guayaquil, Ecuador
[PDF] CV