Biography
Sofía Villena Araya (b. 1994, Mexico City) is an independent researcher and curator based in Costa Rica. Araya interweaves theoretical and historical research, artistic experimentation, pedagogy and collective practices to address issues relating to power dynamics and inclusion/exclusion in and out of cultural spaces. In 2019, she participated in the curatorial program for Central American curators offered by TEOR/eTica and, in 2021, she participated in the Maumaus Study Program. Araya received the 2024 Curatorial Grant from TEOR/eTica and is co-curating, alongside Erika Martin, an exhibition addressing domestic artistic and curating practices. Some of her most recent curated exhibitions include “Revocar” of Guatemalan artist Yavheni de Leon (2022) and “Glossary for a Vegetable Government” of Costa Rican artist Christian Wedel (2023). Her most recent publications in edited books include The Curatorial from the South (2021) and Saber / Desconocer: Relational Pedagogies and Artistic Practices in Central America (2022).