ABOUT ME
Luciano Escanilla was born in Santiago de Chile in 1955.
Conservator & Visual artist
He moved to Europe 1973, where he did an apprenticeship in Art Conservation at Master Maricetta
Parlatore´s Conservation Studio in Bologna, Italy. In 1974 he moved to Uppsala, Sweden where he has resided ever since. He has been active in Uppsala ´s cultural life since.
In 1977-81 he studied Economics and Political science as well as Philosophy at Uppsala University.
In 1986-87 he studied Conservation of paintings and Gilding at Istituto Per il Arte e il Restauro in Florens, Italy.
In 1984 he opened in Uppsala a site where he inaugurated his first Gallery and had exhibitions of important artists from Sweden and many other countries until 1991.
The space functioned also as a studio for Conservation and Restoration of paintings in Uppsala and since then he has been active in this field working with many art works belonging to official institutions and private collections manly in Sweden but also abroad.
Conservation projects undertaken by him include treatment of artworks in different supports & materials; paintings on canvas, wood and metal supports, as well as contemporary works created with less traditional materials and supports.
He specialized in conservation & restoration of Easel Paintings on canvas or board & Bronze Sculptures.
After this experience he moved to Ekeby Qvarn in 1991, a beautiful natural site 10 km outside of the city and opened Ekeby Qvarn Art Centre where all those activities developed furthermore.
As part of the Conservation Studio he created and offered a one or two years training course in Conservation and Restoration for students applying to University degrees in Sweden and abroad.
The Ekeby Qvarn Art Centre hosted a Gallery and other areas for video, installations and other kind of exhibitions as well. In the Gallery of Ekeby Qvarn Art Centre Luciano was the Curator for many artists from Sweden and many other countries.
In 1994 he initiated a yearly collective exhibition inviting artists from Sweden and other countries to participate in this event. Every year there was a different theme explored for the exhibition and the artists were encouraged to contribute with works in different techniques in order to show the exhibition indoors and outdoors along the whole site of Ekeby Qvarn and in the river Fyris.
This spontaneous and open event became a meeting point for many artists with the audience from the city of Uppsala, the region and from abroad. That´s why Luciano gave it the name: EVENTA.
Eventa was held in 5 editions with a large participation of international artists, critics and specialists among others until it became the first Biennial of Contemporary Art in Sweden. Luciano was the Director of this major event until 2000.
In 1999 EVENTA was the inspiration of a similar project in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain with the title: EVENTA – DIASPORA. Luciano participated as the initiator and as the Curator of this project.
Beside these activities Luciano was occupied creating his own works in paintings and photography.
He had a yearly exhibition in the Gallery of Ekeby Qvarn Art Centre and other galleries in Sweden and abroad.
Nowadays Luciano works actively as a Conservator, restoring art works mainly from private collections, official institutions like Uppsala Municipality with whom he had a contract to conserve and restore their outdoor sculpture collection.
Through the years he has attended various seminars and courses on the field of Conservation, for example on the use and applications of Beva adhesive with Mr. Gustav A. Berger (in the Netherlands); on use and applications of laser technology & techniques in Art Conservation (Greece); new technologies and technics in the field of Conservation (Finland, Norway).
He continuously produces his own art through different techniques & projects. Photography has become more and more a focus for his visual creation and exhibition projects. In September 2011 he held a solo exhibition entitled “On the word” and in 2012 another solo exhibition “Portfolio 12” in Uppsala. (See the links-reviews in the UNT newspaper).In 2013, "Beyond the shadows" at Uppsala hem gallery.
Another project which he inaugurated in 2012 was an outdoor sculpture at the center of Uppsala city. This work represent a well which originally could be found in one of the main streets of Uppsala in the 19th and mid-20th century. The sculpture is designed from a photograph printed on glass and the base structure is built from a concrete base covered with granite, aluminum, and glass.
He has also participated in the Biennial Photo Festival of Uppsala since 2011. In 2015 he participated with a special project entitled “Native Self”, a project which he is still working on. (See it here under Projects)
Luciano Escanilla
Address:
Botvidsgatan 3B
75329 Uppsala - Sweden
Phone: +46 0709743825
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.