Geraldine Guardia

After studying Communications and taking filmmaking courses, my work life has consistently been connected to the world of art and creativity. I worked for several years as a script-girl, and I have been the scriptwriter, editor and director of my own cinematographic works, mainly short films, selected in different Film Festivals. I actively participated in the Chilean Short Filmmakers Guild, managing film showcases screened at different international cinema events, in order to promote Chilean talent; I created the "Cortocorto" short films festival, which participated at the Expo Shanghai 2010. I have always participated in different artistic projects in order to construct a critical imaginary, to trigger a critical reflection through art. I intervened in excluded communities or involved in armed conflicts to recover their identities, sometimes forgotten or silenced, especially towards children; I created and implemented a children’s film workshop in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon that I replicated in Chile. Currently, the ongoing violent conflict in Mapuche territory is a subject that stirs me and motivates me to develop initiatives again, so I participated in a theatre project that help to recover their history and testimonies, reinforce their rights.

Meanwhile, I have been working in the Ministry of Culture for the last 4 years proposing an effective follow-up of the artistic projects or programs that are being implemented. The idea is to be linked to all forms of art, in order to promote the rights of citizens to participate actively in the development of a fairer society.

What drew you to the M.A. Arts Politics program?

The program is very attractive to learn new theories and practices, and to reflect more closely on the new paradigms of art in its diverse aesthetic, political and economic expressions.  Also, it's a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and dialog with other professionals, activists, artists, theorists and curators from diverse disciplines and interests, as well as sharing collective assignments and reflections based on diversity, to enrich and expand my perception of the world. In addition, to deepen the topics offered by the Master, explore the relationship between critical theory and creative practice, in a collaborative environment of this type, can only open a wide range of ideas and inspiration to develop my future projects.