Ivan Navarro

Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1972, Iván Navarro Carvacho is a painter, sculptor, visual artist and video artist with a degree in Art from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Iván Navarro experienced life under the Chilean dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, which had a profound impact on his work; both in the thought process reflected in his neon works and imitation furniture, and in his choice of media and its meaning. His work portrays the psychological anguish of life under a corrupt and subjugated regime.

Navarro s works reflect on recent history, exploring the political and aesthetic dimension of electricity, mainly through his sculptures and installations.

In these pieces he uses industrial materials such as neon, fluorescent lights and mirrors. Navarro infuses his work with a dual meaning: on the one hand, he explores oppression (the regime cut off people’s electricity to keep them at home and isolated); on the other hand, he also aims to represent hope and truth through the use of light, working with infinite mirrors. Here, the viewer is lost in a seemingly infinite space with neon structures that hint at what lies beyond.

Ivan Navarro s work is featured in large public and private collections around the world and has been present in numerous international exhibitions. In 2009 he was the first national representative of the Chilean pavilion at the Venice Biennale.