Cristobal Cea

Cristóbal Cea (1981) is a Chilean Artist currently working, living and teaching in between New York City, New Haven (CT) and Providence (RI); were he teaches at the Film Animation and Video department of the Rhode Island School of Design. His practice is heterogenous, seriously amateurish and profoundly curious. An enthusiastic researcher on his immediate surroundings, he pays special attention to what lies hidden or unnoticed in our environment: from camouflaged cell towers and computer servers, to urban decay and seemingly “perpetual” highway repairs. His artworks are about contemporary objects, and the way we -for better or worse- are reflected on them. His media of choice is equally varied: From oil painting to large wooden antennas, if there is one unique material thread in his work, it might be the issue of applied technologies.

Cea holds a Bachelor in Visual Arts from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and a MFA in Digital Media from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has exhibited individually in Galería Moro, Galería Animal and Sala SAM in Chile. Among his collective shows are the 798 Beijing Biennale (China), “Focus Chile” in the Maison de l’Amerique Latine (Belgium), “August 2026” in Galería Concreta (Chile), “Trickle Down Electronics” in Cave Space (Detroit) and the D+M Biennial 2012 (Providence, RI).

His works and texts have been published in The Younger Than Jesus Artist Directory (PHAIDON) and DISEÑA (Design School UC) among other publications. His drawing series “Big Data” is part of the drawing Collection of the Deutsche Bank, and he has obtained the Fulbright Scholarship, the National Council for the Arts Grant (Chile), the RISD President Scholarship and the Grand Proze in Fundación Telefonica’s Art and New Technologies contest.