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MARÍA TERESA CHADWICK IRARRÁZAVAL
@terechad
Chilean Artist 
Creative Inventor
Sculptress
Curator

BIO

A Chilean artist and curator (b. 1990) focused on fostering collective sustainable practices and the cultural values of the Global South, Tere Chad graduated in 2020 with an MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art, London, having previously graduated in 2018 with an MA in Art and Science from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. In 2020 Chad was granted a Global Talent Visa to continue developing her practice in the UK, and in 2021 she was accepted as a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. A marionette cut-out of Queen Elizabeth II, from Chad’s short film ‘The Spectacle of the Shadows’ was selected as part of the Platinum Jubilee collection displayed at the Civic Gallery at Kensington Town Hall (2022 – 2023). Chad has worked in over 15 countries, exhibited in more than 60 international shows, and had her works installed in public space in the UK, Italy and Mexico. She has curated over 20 international exhibitions, coordinating groups of over 70 people. She has managed public and private funding, including grants and sponsorship from institutions such as the Arts Council England, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Rotary Club Est Palermo (Sicily), Municipio San Pedro Garza García (San Pedro Borough – Mexico), Caruna (Finland), Stora Enso (Finland), Camden Giving, the Contemporary Bolivian Arts Trust, Paladar Restaurant, Fundación Cultural de Providencia (Chile) amongst others.

 

Amongst her most important projects, it is definitely worth highlighting Neo Norte or the New North, a fifth edition of which she is currently developing (2024 – 2025) for the Memorial da América Latina, Sao Paulo, Brazil, the most important museum of integration in Latin America,  designed by Oscar Niemeyer;  and the participatory upcycling textile projects she has facilitated together with Cordelia Rizzo, such us Abrazo Entramado (Woven Hug), Zurciendo Vacíos (Mending Voids) and Hilando Organismos (Threading Organisms). Chad showcased ‘Samka Meets Neo Norte’ at the Bloomsbury Festival, London, where the image of her work from Neo Norte 4.0 was selected as the front cover of the festival. Her work features in private and public collections in the UK, Germany, Finland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Chile and the United Arab Emirates. Tere Chad has wide experience working with educational institutions in Latin America and Europe, interacting with groups of different ages, organising workshops and performing the role of visiting lecturer in England, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Finland, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, USA and Italy. She is currently a volunteer member of the board of The Design Education Trust.

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HIGHLIGHTS

STATEMENT

<< Human inconsistencies have always intrigued me. It fascinates me how man is the only sentient being capable of studying his inconsistencies. My multidisciplinary practice is inspired by our everchanging reality. I go through life as a flâneur, trying to understand human behaviour and which paradigms rule our society. I tend to expose and contrast past civilisations with current phenomena in a theatrical way. I often feel that we are all acting in the same play as, however much fashion and technology may change, human nature always remains the same. Storytelling becomes an essential part of how I construct different narratives, where the language could be defined as naïve, dynamic and ironic. I attempt to manifest how technology is presented as a double-edged sword, on the one hand offering considerable ease and convenience but, on the other, alienating us from our natural instincts. In this spectacular society, driven by media sensationalism, we live in an ephemeral, disconnected state where we have difficulty distinguishing reality from virtual reality or fake news. I strongly believe, therefore, that it is of fundamental importance to reassess our haptic sensitivity and capacity to connect through our sense of touch. My artwork is very tactile, involving at times the collaboration of other artists or the viewer, as I envisage that the only path to face the Anthropocene challenge is by to root ourselves back in the Earth. >>

Neo Norte 4.0, presented at Villa Giulia, Palermo, Segesta Archaeological Park, Sicily, Italy, 2023 

Museo Sociale Danissini, Sicily, acquired the painting “La Casa di Andrea” (The House of Andrea) and participatory textile artwork “Rammendare Vuoti” (Mending Voids) made in collaboration with Rossella Puccio and UDI Palermo (“Unione Donne Italiana” – Italian Women’s Union), 2023 

Royal Society of Sculptors Summer Show,’ Dora House - Royal Society of Sculptors, London, UK, 2023 

Royal Society of Sculptors award to exhibit ‘Are We Sinking?’ and ‘Jump into the Void’ at Thirsk Hall Sculpture Garden, North Yorkshire, UK,  2023 

Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant for Woven Hug 2.0 to be presented at Flowerfield Arts Centre, Norther Ireland, as part of the Linen Biennale, 2023 

‘Our Lady of Charity’, Paladar Restaurant, London, UK, 2022

© María Teresa Chadwick Irarrázaval 2025

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