Luis Andrés López García

About

Curatorial Statement

My curatorial research is centred on the reparative potential of archival activations, particularly in transnational contexts. I am deeply inspired by projects such as the Systems Reclaimed initiative by the International Curators Forum (ICF) and Orsod Malik’s archival activation project Shifting the Centre at The Black Cultural Archives and the Stuart Hall Library. These works have profoundly influenced my understanding of archives as flexible, interconnected networks rather than isolated collections.

Jeffrey T. Schnapp’s Buried (and) Alive has been a foundational text for me, advocating for a re-evaluation of traditional archiving concepts towards a more fluid approach. This perspective aligns with my interest in rhizomatic networks within curatorial practices, especially those that challenge established cultural orders and broaden exhibition-making beyond a Western lens. My focus is on how archival activations can assist in repairing the curatorial ethos of non-Western ecologies by addressing historical narratives and providing alternative engagement with displayed material.

As an educator, I value alternative learning processes and believe in the empowering potential of knowledge gained through shared experiences. My current research explores how archives can rectify historical narratives that have disadvantaged specific populations globally. I believe institutions can play a crucial role by partnering with communities to preserve and disseminate knowledge. By examining archival activations through a transnational lens, I aim to foster reparative awareness among wider audiences/participants. The flexibility and potentiality of the archive has to be thought not as a spawning phenomenon of the art system but as vital tools for preservation, care, and the activation of historical narratives that allow to reimage new possible futures.

Biography

Quito-Ecuador (1996). He is an independent curator, archivist, teacher, and visual artist. He earned a Baccalaureus Artium in Contemporary Arts from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ (2018) with a minor in Art History, supported by the Michelangelo scholarship. During his studies, he served as a teaching assistant in Philosophical Readings and Philosophy of Art. In 2021, he completed a postgraduate diploma in Art Applied to Society from Überbau_house and recently finished an MA in Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art (2024).

He was a former member of the Eukarya art collective (2017-2019), where he produced large-scale artworks and curated exhibitions featuring emerging artists. He worked as an assistant at the Khôra gallery (2017) under the direction of Anamaría Garzón and as a coordinator of academic journals and monographs at USFQ Press (2019-2020). He taught Visual Arts in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at ISM Quito (2020-2023) and currently serves as the Archivist at Goodenough College in London (2023-2024).

He was the museography and mediation assistant for the NAW exhibition at La Vitrina during the XIV Cuenca Biennial (2018). He has curated exhibitions at various venues including El Domo (Fretless Foundation), Toquilla Casa de Arte (Macas), USFQ, ISM Quito, Chawpi, No Lugar, Puente Art Lab, Khôra, Espacio Violenta (Guayaquil), Cumandá Urban Park, the Contemporary Art Centre of Quito, Charles Parsons Library, Sir Campbell Stuart Library, The Long Gallery, Fitzwilliam Museum, Royal College of Art, and Hypha Studios. He lives and works in London, United Kingdom.

Contact information

Email: luis100196@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luislopezartec/

LinkedIm: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-l%C3%B3pez-9113a2142/