Meet María Carolina Larrea | Visual Artist & Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with María Carolina Larrea and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi María Carolina, what do you attribute your success to?
I think the most important thing has been perseverance with a good dose of passion for the artistic work that I do. My goal has not been and continues to be success, but rather to always improve my quality of work, the preservation and philosophy of doing and extracting the beauty of each of the materials I work with.
I think another factor to take into account is that when I work in my workshop, I feel happy, and I feel that it is the place where I have to be.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
One of the things that sets me apart from my colleagues is my specialty, which is rare in my country. Over more than 25 years of research and practice in the art of handmade paper, I have managed to establish a link between the craft and artistic practice. And what I am most proud of is having installed it within the courses taught in the Faculty of Arts at my University. This has been a work that I began in 2002, and it has been a huge task to maintain it and present it as an art and not just as a support to do something else.
At this point in my career, I have been able to demonstrate the infinite ways of transforming this material as an art, and all the facets it has according to the type of fiber being processed. Also, the challenges that lie ahead in working with it in a sustainable way. For this, the new generations must be prepared so that they can maintain this art and craft over time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take my friend for a walk and tour of the old center of my city. See the old architecture and heritage buildings in the Plaza de Armas and corners like the Concha y Toro neighborhood, which are must-see gems of downtown Santiago. I would also take her to the carpentry museum, because it is very beautiful and educational for anyone who likes crafts. Just seeing the wonderful tools and the work done with them is beautiful to see. Highly recommended.
Then I would take this friend to the Lastarria neighborhood to eat something delicious in a beautiful place near the park. The must-sees can be the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art, which are right next door, and the Museum of Visual Arts, a few meters from the forest park.
A nice possibility if we have time is to take a ride on the cable car of the San Cristóbal district where you can see a panoramic view of the city of Santiago in an entertaining way. Then we would go by metro to the little Dominican artisan village, where he could buy beautiful Chilean crafts for his relatives, upon his return home.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank two teachers for their support, who at different times encouraged me to improve and advance in my projects. The first was Patricia Novoa, an undergraduate professor at the university, and the second was Timothy Barrett, who was very generous and invited me to learn the traditional paper craft from the very basics, which meant a new beginning for me.

Website: https://www.carolinalarrea.com

Instagram: @carolina.larrea.papel

Facebook: Carolina larrea 100% Papel

Youtube: Carolina Larrea

Image Credits
Photographer: Patricia Novoa