Artistic Trajectory

Renato Osoy, 1974. Guatemalan-born artist and educator currently based in Montreal, Canada.

With a career of over three decades, I have cultivated a profound engagement with artistic, curatorial, and educational practices across multiple continents. My educational foundation began with Photographic Studies at the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver, U.S.A., in 1996, following an early artistic start as a cast member of the theater collective “Arte-studio Kodaly” in Guatemala City from 1990 to 1994. I later earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2012 and a Master’s Degree in Artistic Research (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Amsterdam in 2014, solidifying my interdisciplinary approach to contemporary art.

As a curator, I have contributed significantly to the Central American art scene, including directing and co-curating exhibitions and programs for the Fundación Nacional para las Bellas Artes y la Cultura (FUNBA) in Antigua Guatemala from 2018 to 2019 and leading curatorial projects at Galería Extra in Guatemala City, where I organized over 40 exhibitions and produced biographical mini-documentaries on emerging artists. My work extends to internationally recognized initiatives, such as serving as a member of the Y.ES Curators Network in El Salvador in 2018 and participating as a nominator for the World Press Photo - Joop Swart Masterclass Award from 2016 to 2019. These roles have allowed me to create meaningful dialogues across the Americas and Europe, including curating landmark exhibitions such as Un Evento en el Museo un Museo en el Evento at Museo de Arte Moderno Carlos Mérida in Guatemala City in 2012.

Institutional consulting has also been a cornerstone of my practice. In 2019, I led the institutional design and programming of FUNBA and the MAG - Museo Arte Guatemala, developing their educational and mediation programs. My expertise extends to curriculum development, having co-designed the Bachelor in Visual Arts program for Universidad Francisco Marroquín and the Laboratorio de Arte Contemporáneo diploma course for Fundación Paiz in Guatemala City.

I have taught extensively as an educator, offering workshops, seminars, and mentorships tailored to professional artists in Central America. My teaching roles have included lecturing at Universidad Francisco Marroquín from 2015 to 2018, conducting critical writing seminars at La Fototeca in 2019, and developing a rich portfolio of workshops on contemporary art and photography since 2009. In parallel, I have engaged audiences as a panelist and speaker at key cultural events, such as the Pasos a Desnivel symposium at the Centro Cultural de España in Guatemala City in 2019 and the Money Talks: Economy in the Art World panel at the Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo in San José, Costa Rica.

My artistic practice, exhibited internationally, reflects a conceptual and poetic sensibility. My works have been featured in prestigious venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A. (Guatemala from 33,000 km, 2018), the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, Italy (Imago Mundi Collection, 2016), and the Norton Museum in Florida, U.S.A. (Rudin Prize, 2014). My projects consistently explore themes of identity, memory, and cultural resonance, bridging the personal and collective.

Through my interdisciplinary trajectory, I continue to shape meaningful exchanges between art, curation, and education, contributing to a dynamic conversation within the global art community.


CV

Education

2014

Master’s Degree in Artistic Research from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 2012-2014

2012

Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Belgium. 2009-2012

1996

Photographic Studies, Colorado Institute of Art, Denver, U.S.A. 1994-1996

1994

Cast member in the theater collective “Arte-studio Kodaly”, Guatemala City, Guatemala. 1990-1994


Curatorships & Curatorial Projects

2020

Curator for the exhibition of the visual art teachers of the Municipal School of Visual Arts, titled: “1 kilómetro en la Ciudad”, Guatemala City.

2019

As Content Director, designed structures, scripts and content for the “FUNBA Cultural Channel” on social media; as well performs a series of co-curatorships with guest curators for 4 exhibitions and 15 educational activities linked to the annual exhibitions program at FUNBA-Fundación Nacional para las Bellas Artes y la Cultura, in the city of Antigua Guatemala. 2018-2019
Curator for Galería Extra (A contemporary art gallery for Central American Art in Guatemala City). Curated 22 exhibitions in the main exhibition space and 21 exhibitions for the gallery’s project-space, besides producing a series of 6 biographical mini-documentaries on emerging artist in the context of Contemporary Art in Guatemala City. 2016-2019
Part of the nominating committee for candidates to the “World Press Photo - Joop Swart Masterclass Award”, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 

2018

Member of the Y.ES Curators Network, with visits to Museums and artist studios in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Member for the Guatephoto Advisory Board, Guatemala City. 2012-2018
Jury for the Guatephoto contest, Guatemala City.
Curator for the exhibition: “La Pintura en la Práctica Contemporánea”, MUSAC, Guatemala City. 

2016

Curator for the exhibition "Galerías Abiertas", at the Municipal School of Visual Art, Guatemala City.
Curator for "Funsilec" art auction event, Guatemala City.

2015

Curator for "Funsilec" art auction event, Guatemala City.
Curator for the annual photography festival Foto30, Guatemala City.

2012

Curator for “Un Evento en el Museo, un Museo en el Evento”, Museo de Arte Moderno Carlos Mérida, Guatemala City.


Institutional Consulting & Commissions

2019

General coordination, institutional design and programming of content for the institutionalization of FUNBA - Fundación Nacional para las Bellas Artes y la Cultura, an institution which also coordinates the MAG - Museo Arte Guatemala; Design of the mediation and Educational Program. The MAG is currently under construction in the city of Antigua Guatemala.
Co-founder and co-director for the contemporary art gallery Galería Extra, Guatemala City. 2016-2019

2018

Y.ES Contemporary Art Trip. YES hosts an annual art trip introducing museum directors, curators, critics and philanthropists to the contemporary visual art community in El Salvador. By invitation, art trips are approximately 5 days and are joined by YES founders, council and staff team.  Each art trip provides an introduction to the countries creative institutions, artist practices and culturally significant sites and activities.

2016

Coordinator, designer and teacher for the Diploma Course program: “Laboratorio de Arte Contemporáneo” for Fundación Paiz, 2016-17 in the Artecentro site, Guatemala City. 
Coordinator, designer and instructor for the one year Diploma project "Agentes Culturales" for Fundación Paiz, 2015-16, a program operated in conjunction with the Guatemala Biennale.
Co-founder of the experimental research project “Textperimento(s)”, Guatemala City. 

2015

Co-designer of the “Bachelor in Visual Arts” program for the Educational Department of Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala City.
Co-designer of the curricular project of the Artecentro “Graciela Andrade de Paiz” School in Guatemala City.

2014 

Consulting for the Municipal School of Visual Arts, part of the Guatemala’s City Municipality regarding the event: “Guatemala Capital of Ibero-American Culture”, (Event Conceptualization and Temporary Educational Projects), Guatemala City.
Project Advisory for the “Wolf Bauman Collection”. (Institutional Conceptualization), Guatemala City. 

2013

Advisory for La Fototeca, execution, conceptualization and implementation of an advanced photography: “Nueva Generación”, a program within the frame of contemporary visual arts, Guatemala City.


Teaching & Mentoring

2020 to date

By appointment personalized Portfolio Reviews, Artist’s Services and Mentoring.

2019

Teacher in “Lectura y escritura crítica”, Diploma Course program in Fototeca, Guatemala City.
”Arte & Estrategia(s)”, artist’s professionalization seminars; Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo, San José, Costa Rica.
Webinars: “Laboratorio de Creación” y “Teoría de la Imagen”, Fototeca, Guatemala City.

2018

Workshop: “Imagen Inesperada”, La Fototeca, Guatemala City.
Art History Class “La Decisión y El Azar”, Fundación Paiz, Guatemala City.
Teacher at Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala City. 2015-2018

2017

Seminar in Fundación Yaxs: Formas de ver; modos de hacer, Guatemala City.
Workshop in La Erre cultural center: “Textos Como Imágenes”, Guatemala City.

2016

From his studio, articulates a series of Contemporary Art and Photography workshops, and organizes a series of public exhibitions entitled: "Imagen Inesperada", Guatemala City. 2015-2016

2010

Workshop: "(El lenguaje de la fotografía (un enfoque contemporáneo))", GuatePhoto Festival, Guatemala, in collaboration with La Fototeca.

2009

Workshop: "Tomar fotos mientras está de viaje", Antwerp, Belgium. In collaboration with Karavaan.
Workshop: "La intuición fotográfica En el Retrato y el Paisaje" Guatemala City. In collaboration with La Fototeca.

2006–2007

Workshop: "Iluminación Avanzada" and workshops on creative development, Espacio 13-65, Guatemala City.

2004

Workshop: "El desnudo en la fotografía" Galería El Attico, Guatemala City.
Workshop: "Fotografía Documental" Proyecto Cultural El Sitio, Antigua, Guatemala.

2001

Workshop: "La fotografía como herramienta creativa" Studio 52, Guatemala City. In collaboration with photographer Alan Benchoam.

2000

Workshop: “Fotografía Documental", Casa Comal, Guatemala City.

1999

Workshop: "Fotografiando el desnudo" Galería Poliedro, Guatemala City.
Workshop: "Trabajando el cuarto oscuro" Casa Azul, Guatemala City.

1998

Workshop: "El Desnudo como Elemento Humano en la Fotografía" Casa Azul, Guatemala City.
Conferences on a series of short experimental workshops at the Casa Azul Art Academy, Guatemala


Panelist and Speaker/Lecturer

2019 

Presentation for the 27th ICOFOM-LAM “Proposing an Educational Program to activate a Project for a Museum in Guatemala”, Universidad del Valle, Guatemala City.
Panelist at the discussion: “Money Talks; Economy in the art world” Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo, San José, Costa Rica.
Universidad Veritas, “Parallels in the Development and History of Photography”, San Jose, Costa Rica.
Speaker at the Contemporary Art Symposium: “Pasos a Desnivel”, Centro Cultural de España, Guatemala City. 
Panelist at the discussion: “La Actualidad en la Fotografía”, for the 10th anniversary of La Fototeca, Guatemala City. 

2018

Panelist at FLII - Latin American Forum on Impact Investment: “Cultural Entrepreneurship”, Antigua Guatemala. 
Speaker at the 9th Encuentro de Fundacult in Antigua Guatemala.
Exhibition table at the New York Foundation for the Arts - IBM; Cultural Entrepreneurship Symposium, New York, USA.  

2015

Moderator at the "Adherente" Design Festival, 2015, Guatemala City.
Moderator and panelist, "Guatephoto 2015", Guatemala City.

2012

A series of conferences and workshops at La Fototeca, Guatemala.

2010

Conference about the project "The Infinite Highland", Museum fur Volkerkunde, Hamburg.

2006—2007

Conferences on personal work at the "Festival del Centro Histórico", Guatemala City.


Individual and Collective Exhibitions

2021

“Juannio”, Latin American Art Auction, Guatemala City.

2020

“FRACTÁLISIS” a photographic exhibition on the occasion of the 40th anniversary from  CIRMA’s - Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamérica fototeca archive, at La Nueva Fábrica, Aldea Santa Ana, Antigua, Guatemala.

2018

“Guatemala from 33,000 km: Contemporary Art, 1960 – Present”, Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
“Grandes Éxitos”, Centro Cultural Municipal, Guatemala City. 

2017

“Juannio”, Latin American Art Auction, Museo Ixchel, Guatemala City.

2016

"Automatismos", Universidad Rafael Landívar, Guatemala City.
"Espacios Públicos", Escuela Municipal de Correos, Guatemala City.
"Arte en Mayo", Fundación Rozas-Botrán, Guatemala City.
"Museo de la Luna", Concepción 41, Antigua Guatemala.
"Solemne Edición Número 3", Contemporary Art magazine.
"Imago Mundi Luciano Benetton Collection", Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, Italy.

2015

"Entresiglos; Arte Contemporáneo de Centroamérica", Museo de Arte Moderno de Guatemala, Guatemala City.
"Guatephoto", La Erre, Guatemala City.
"Las Brisas", Edificio Las Brisas, Guatemala City.
"Propuestas Improbables", S1, Guatemala City.

2014

"Rudin Prize", Norton Museum, Florida, USA.
"Variations.Uniformity", at Bradwolff Projects, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"Tétano#00", limited edition publication for Colectivo Macú; Fotografía Latinoamericana.

2013

"Medical Experimental", EYE Film Institute Netherlands, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
“Primitives", W139, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"Ignite 30", Mediamatic, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"Finding A New Order", Zolder Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"Finding A New Order”, GoLeb, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"Finding A New Order", BB15, Linz, Austria.
"Former West”, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany.
"SUELTA" @ www.sueltasuelta.es, text and art online platform.
"Geográfica", Fototropia, Guatemala.
"Fotosíntesis", Fototropia, Guatemala.
"Tecún", La ERRE, Guatemala.
"Kijkdoos (Dioramas)” Époque, Antwerp, Belgium.

2012

“Bredaphoto”, photography festival, Breda, Netherlands.
“Guatephoto”, photography festival, Guatemala City.
“Un Evento En El Museo, Un Museo En El Evento”, Museo de Arte Moderno de Guatemala, Guatemala City.
“Entrar Adentro, Salir Afuera, Salir Adentro”, FOTO30, Palacio de La Cultura de Guatemala, Guatemala City.

2011

Public Recognition, Designcenter De Winkelhaak, Antwerp, Belgium.

2010

Noventa Segundos, Galería El Attico, Guatemala.

2008-10

Curator of the web-based project FOTOMALTECO, fotomalteco.blogspot.com

2008

Projection of "Semana Santa en Guatemala" Museum für Völkerkunde, Hamburg, Germany.
Projection of the project "Laberinto de Miradas" for Foto30 exhibitions. Antigua, Guatemala.
FUNSILEC art exhibition, Guatemala.

2007

Traveling exhibition "Imágenes de Guatemala 1850-2005, Fototeca de CIRMA", Moscow, Russia.

2006

"Algunos Detalles de la Naturaleza", Part of the FOTO30 Project of the Centro Cultural de España, Galería el Attico, Guatemala City.
”Juannio”, Latin American Art Auction, Guatemala.
"Sexo y Poder" Casa del Mango, La Antigua, Guatemala.
"La Historia de Danaus" Project, Centro de Cultura Hispánica y Casa del Águila, Guatemala.
"El Cuerpo" Galería el Attico, Guatemala.
Traveling exhibition "Imágenes de Guatemala 1850-2005, Fototeca de CIRMA", Barcelona, Spain.

2005

Traveling exhibition "Imágenes de Guatemala 1850-2005, Fototeca de CIRMA", Ateneo de Madrid, Spain. Casino de Santander, Spain. Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
"Catorce años de Galería El Attico", Guatemala.
"Arte Subasta", Anacafé Building, Guatemala.

2004

Galería El Áttico, "Muestra Fotográfica", Guatemala.
"Arte Subasta", Anacafé Building, Guatemala.
Galería Panza Verde, "Colaboración con David Halfon", Antigua Guatemala.
"Fotografías 1999-2004" Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamérica (CIRMA), Antigua Guatemala.

2002

"Fotógrafos de fin de Milenio", Córdoba, Spain.
”Juannio”, Latin American Art Auction, Guatemala.
"Arte Subasta", Edificio Anacafe, Guatemala.

2001

Traveling exhibition in Mexico City, Guerrero, Tehuacán and Tamaulipas, México.
"Arte Subasta", Anacafé Building, Guatemala.
Instituto Americano de Guatemala, "Suerte y Castigo", Guatemala.
"Algunas Cosas nos Recuerdan Algunas Cosas", Casa de los Nativos, San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.

2000

Salón de la Plástica Mexicana, México.
Arte Subasta, Edificio Anacafé, Guatemala.

1999

Traveling exhibition in Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango, Cobán, Antigua for one year "Últimos Diez Años de la Plástica Guatemalteca", Guatemala.
Traveling exhibition in Guatemala City and Antigua, "Despertares", Guatemala.
Instituto Guatemalteco Americano, "Miedo", Guatemala.
CIRMA, "Foto subasta", Antigua Guatemala.
Universidad de San Carlos, "Ecléctica", Guatemala.

1998

Múseo de Arte Moderno "Foto jornada", Guatemala.
Galería el Áttico, Guatemala.
Universidad Rafael Landívar, "El Arte de la fotografía Contemporánea", Guatemala.
INGUAT, "Arte por la Vida", Guatemala.

1996

Gallery of the Colorado Institute of Art, U.S.A.
Denver Performing Arts Complex, U.S.A.

*References

This section links articles and publications, printed and online materials discussing my projects, exhibitions, and contributions, offering further insight into my practice and the dialogues it has sparked in various contexts. I strive to keep this section current, but if you wish to cite or include my work in your research, please reach out for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

On-Line Publications

Videos

Printed Publications

2018 – Feature: Lenguajes de Luz: Dos Siglos de Fotografía en Guatemala (1844–2018)

A landmark publication by La Fototeca, Guatemalan photography school and institution, on the occasion of Guatephoto Festival 2018, composed of essays by diverse Guatemalan scholars on the history of photography in Guatemala over two centuries. Several photographic works, including Domestic Encounters (2010) as well as a brief interview and a biography were included in this publication.

2017 – Feature: ArtGala 2017
Catalog for collectors, which features works selected by the Organizing Committee for the Juannio auction. Vail (2010), a photographic work, was included.

2017 – Feature: Guatemala desde 33,000 km: Arte Contemporáneo de 1960 al Presente
Publication accompanying and documenting the exhibition “Guatemala from 33,000 km: Contemporary Art, 1960–Present” held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB), in Santa Barbara, California; curated by Miki Garcia and Emiliano Valdés. An in-depth commitment to the study of Guatemalan art in the late 20th and early 21st century. Entrar Adentro Salir Afuera Salir Adentro (2012) was included in the exhibition and the book.

2017 – Feature: Imago Mundi: Guatemala: Memory and Timeless Avant-Garde
Imago Mundi is the collection of works commissioned and collected by Luciano Benetton. For this book, 142 works in 10x12 cm format were commissioned to Guatemalan artists. The work Un cuadrito pequeñito (2016) was made for the occasion, and later exhibited at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, Italy.

2017 – Feature: Juannio 2017
Catalog for the annual Latin American contemporary art auction Juannio, held in Guatemala. The work Photographic Moment (2014) from the series Text-Images was included in the auction.

2016 – Feature: Abrapalabra No. 49: Tradición e Innovación
Cultural magazine by Universidad Rafael Landívar, where the exhibition Automatismos was held. Images and a text from the exhibition were included.

2016 – Publisher: Agentes Culturales: Programa Diplomado de Formación Teórico-Práctica
Publication containing the research texts produced by the participants of the Agentes Culturales program.

2016 – Feature: Solemne Edición No. 03
Guatemala-based contemporary art magazine. A selection of works from Entrar Adentro Salir Afuera Salir Adentro (2012) were included in the magazine.

2015 – Feature: Entre Siglos: Arte Contemporáneo de Centroamérica y Panamá
A compilation of contemporary art from Central America and Panama by Fundación Rozas-Botrán, Guatemalan visual arts foundation. Photo documentation of an installation from the series Concept-Context (2014) was included.

2015 – Co-publisher: Huawei P8
Commissioned project. Several Guatemalan photographers were asked to work with the Huawei P8 smartphone. The book compiles the resulting images.

2015 – Publisher: Las Brisas
Book compilation of a commission by the owner of Las Brisas Building in Guatemala City. Three artists working with photography were tasked with surveying and producing visual work taking the location as inspiration source and work venue. A series of photographic and text-based works were produced for this project.

2014 – Feature: Tétano #00
Limited edition Latin American photography publication curated by Colectivo Macú. Images from Entrar Adentro Salir Afuera Salir Adentro were included alongside the essay “El Descaro de Des-cararse para Luego Re-encararse; Re-iterando Caras y Rostros en el Documento Fotográfico”.

2014 – Feature: Table Conversation #2: CONDITION
Art publication in the format of an interdisciplinary written conversation, hosted by Annika Pannitto and Erica Preli. A text titled ><>> // four legs to articulate a conversation ///////// was included in the publication.

2012 – Publisher: Entrar Adentro Salir Afuera Salir Adentro
Book Documentation of Research Based Artistic Intervention On “The Mejía ID Photo Collection” Archive From The Centro De Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamérica” In Guatemala.

2007 – Publisher: Altiplano Infinito / Infinite Highlands
A selection of photographic work focused on the landscapes of the Guatemalan highlands.

2007 – Publisher: Renato Osoy: Fotografía
A selection of photographic work focused on the nude body taken in different countries.

2002 – Publisher: Artesubasta 2002: Renato Osoy
Publication compiling several photographic works in the occasion of being awarded in Artesubasta, an art auction.