“We travel to find the unknown within ourselves, to feel at home.” 

I was born in South America to European-Peruvian parents; we moved to the US when I was a child. I have lived on several continents during my life and for the last 20 years have divided my time mostly between South America and the US. Since childhood I have self-identified as an outsider - caught between worlds, an idea that has fueled the shifting realities that has become a main focus in my artistic landscape.

Displacement, territoriality and relocation within space and nature are themes that personally affect and interest me. We are no longer confined to a limited geographical área or connected only to a specific group of people. Many people feel displaced or have relocated – moving, migrating either by choice or necessity. These themes have continually re-appeared in life and in my work, as an inspiration which mirrors my own reality. 

In my work, I try to balance the deliberate with the spontaneous, irregular harmonies with moments of resistance. Working through this delicate balance, somewhere between chaos and control, the paintings take shape. Natural forms are fragmented, dissected; colors and textures overlap, patterns and shapes are repeated. I aspire to visually bring together the idea of language, emotion and space, but to allow the feeling of uncertainty to remain. From macro to micro, and oftentimes back again, lines and shapes are streamlined, minimized and then relocated and placed in a new space that hopefully speak of a new experience, a new story. Each year, in my travels, my relationship with my environment changes and strays from what it had been the year before: that relationship - the real and the imagined, the old and the new– obliges me to seek new answers to the visual language I had previously created. 

I work in a variety of media – collage, sculpture, painting, drawing – and after working for several years with a very limited palette, color has now become both material and subject in my work. 

As for the theme of this competition, I often describe my work with this word: Fragmented. It felt natural to submit my work to this competition.

Liliana Zavaleta was born in Lima, Peru to European-Peruvian parents; they moved to the US when she was a child. Throughout her life she has lived on several continents and for the last 20 years has divided her time mostly between South America and the US. Since childhood she has self-identified as an outsider - caught between worlds, an idea that has fueled the shifting realities that has become a main focus in her artistic landscape. Displacement, territoriality and relocation within space and nature are themes that personally affect and interest her. We are no longer confined to a limited geographical area or connected only to a specific group of people. Many people feel displaced or have relocated -- moving, migrating either by choice or necessity. These themes have continually re-appeared in  her life and in her work, as an inspiration which mirrors her own reality.   

1974 Received BA Double Major in French and Spanish Languages and Literature with a Minor in Art History, Rutgers University, NJ
1976 Received MA from New York University, NYC in Latin American Literature
1976-1981 Taught ESL in Tehran, Iran and New York University, NYC
1979-1981 Studied photography and dark room printing techniques at the International Center of Photography, NYC 
1981 Received Communication Arts degree from Parson's School of Design, NYC

Liliana Zavaleta studied languages at Rutgers University and University de Tours, Tours, France.  She has worked as a Graphic Designer/Art Director/ Creative Director full-time and freelance in NYC, Upstate NY and Internationally, receiving several awards for her work including, Marketing Awards, Honorable Mentions, Best Brochure Design and Best of Show from the Art Director's Club. 

Workshops / Residencies

Drawing and Painting with Paula Salas and Jorge Kuhn, Fine Artists in Santiago, Chile 

Painting, Drawing and Color studies, at Atrapa Luz, Santiago, Chile

Printmaking Workshops at Zea Mays Printmaking, Northampton, MA

Conservation and Restoration of Paintings Workshop at Escuela de Artes  Aplicadas, Santiago, Chile 

Book Making workshops at Papel Manera Japonesa, Santiago, Chile

Botanical Drawing with Geraldine Mc Kinnon Santiago, Chile

Paper Making Workshops at June Tyler Papermaking, Norwich, NY

Collage Art Workshop with Alexandra Sheldon, Cambridge, MA

Cooperstown Drawing Center, Cooperstown, NY

Artist Residency, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson VT


Group Shows

2005  La Hormiguita, Casa de Delia del Carril, Santiago, Chile

2006  La Hormiguita, Casa de Delia del Carril, Santiago, Chile

2007  La Hormiguita, Casa de Delia del Carril, Santiago, Chile

2008  Salustiano Casanova, Sala Exhibición, Santiago, Chile

2009  Salustiano Casanova, Sala Exhibición, Santiago, Chile

2016  Gihon River School Firehouse Studios, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont

2016  International Juried Exhibition of Collage, Assemblage and Construction,  Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, California

2017  FAXXI VI, Art Fair, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile