Manuela Ribadeneira
1966, Quito, Ecuador, works between London and Quito.
Ribadeneira’s work is grounded in practices that look towards history, science and ‘micro-histories’ to give form to personal and collective concerns of the present and address a larger political and social context. Her comprehensive approach to making, means she is constantly working to generate conversation, taking many roles beyond that of a traditional artist. She maintains active involvement with editorial and curatorial projects through collaborations like Artes No Decorativas S.A., a collective that initiated a process of critical revision of the status quo in Ecuadorian art.
Ribadeneira has exhibited in numerous international institutions, like the Brooklyn Museum, New York; Museo de Arte Moderno Medellín; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; David Roberts Art Foundation, London; Teorética, San José; CAC, Quito; Kunsthalle Stuttgart; Museo del Barrio, New York, Museo Amparo, Puebla; CIFO, Miami; Pivô, São Paulo amongst others. She participated in the Latin American Pavilion – 52nd Venice Biennale, the 8th Havana Biennale, 8th Mercosur Biennale, 12th and 14th Cuenca Biennales. Her work is part of the Guggenheim’s Museum public collection, New York. Her 2022 Monograph She Asked Directions for Getting Lost, edited by Rivet, was published by Mousse Publishing.
Ribadeneira has a BA (1988) from Georgetown University, Washington DC, a BFA (1991) from Parson, Paris and an MFA (2004) Goldsmiths College, London. In 2008, Ribadeneira was a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow in Bellagio, Italy.
She is an active member of the board of directors of Museo de Arte Precolombino, Casa del Alabado, Quito.