ABOUT
PAULA ABALOS (1989*) Santiago, Chile.
Contact: paula.abalos.paula@gmail.com
Paula Ábalos is a visual artist based in Leipzig, Germany. After completing her studies in Visual Arts (major in painting) at Universidad Finis Terrae in Santiago, she pursued the Meisterschüler program in Media Arts at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig (HGB), under the supervision of Clemens von Wedemeyer.
Her practice unfolds primarily in the field of experimental video, in dialogue with other media such as animation, sound, photography, performance, drawing, and artist books. Through these forms, she merges documentary, fictional, and poetic elements to construct immersive narratives. Ábalos’ research explores the impact of labor on individuals, as well as liminal states between wakefulness and sleep. She is particularly interested in the relationship between work and sleep, and in the ways these concepts intersect and resonate today.
Her work has been presented in various festivals and institutions, including the Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig (2025), VIDEONALE at the Kunstmuseum Bonn (2021), Kassel DOK Fest (2020), BIENALSUR at MACRO Museum of Rosario (2021), Galería Concreta Matucana 100, Santiago (2019), and Festival LOOP, Barcelona (2017). She has received distinctions such as the GOLDEN CUBE at Kassel DOK Fest (2020) for her video installation Diarios de Trabajos, the Rundgang 50Hertz Award at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2021) for her film The Invisible Cloth, and the Square Eyes Pitch Award at DOK Leipzig (2024) for her animation project in development, Hipnagogía.
-------------------
C.V:
Upcoming:
October 2025: Hungry Eyes Festival. Giessen.
Sept 2026: DREAM LAB. Solo exhibition + book publication. CEINA. Santiago.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2025: APARICIONES. Solo exhibition at ZiMMT, Leipzig.
2023: VISITANTES: ESCENAS IMAGINARIAS. Galería NAC. Santiago.
2023: CAMA ARRENDADA. Exground Filmfest 36. Murnau-Filmtheater. Wiesbaden.
2022: LIBRO DE CAMAS. Local Arte Contemporáneo. Santiago.
2022: The Invisible Cloth. Galerie "Glaskasten Druckstock". Chemnitz.
2021: VISITANTES. Kunstraum Ortloff. Leipzig.
2021: tHere. Installation-performance. Collaboration with Charlie Fouchier. LOFFT das Theater Leipzig.
2020: LOS INMORTALES II. Galerie KUB . Leipzig.
2019: NOCTÁMBULOS INVISIBLES. Galería Concreta, Centro Cultural Matucana 100. Santiago.
2017: LOS INMORTALES. Galería Die Ecke. City Screen 2017, Festival LOOP. Barcelona.
2017: DIGITAL MIRROR. Sala Andacollo, Santiago.
2016: PRAYERS TO GET TO THE END OF THE MONTH. Galería de Casa en Blanco. Santiago.
2015: INSTRUCCIONARIO. BAJ, Balmaceda Arte Joven Gallery, Valparaiso.
2015: NO GRACIAS, Trabajos para vivir del arte. Galería librería Metales Pesados. Santiago.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS / SCREENINGS / FESTIVALS (selection) :
2025: ARBEIT. Group exhibition. Vögele Kultur Zentrum. Pfäffikon, Switzerland.
2025: SCREEN TIME. Group exhibition. MDBK Museum, Leipzig, Germany.
2025: Somewhere... everyday. Group exhibition. Frauenmuseum Bonn, Germany.
2025: Group exhibition “Artistas NAC”. Galería NAC. Santiago, Chile.
2025: Screening VISITANTES. Kurzsuechtig Film Festival, Leipzig, Germany.
2024: Vögele Kultur Zentrum. Pfäffikon, Switzerland.
2024: ART GO EAST 2024. Leipzig, Germany.
2024: Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin. Berlin, Germany.
2023: Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin. Paris, France.
2023: ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival. Paris, France.
2023: La Escuela de las Formas. Centro Cultural de Las Condes. Santiago, Chile.
2022: Ciclo de videoarte chileno en ISLA+. Bienal SACO. Chile
2022: Re*Mapping Leipzig. Germany.
2022: I AM ELEVATING IN ALL WAYS. Kleine Humboldt Galerie, Berlin.
2022: DON´T KNOW WHY. Kunstraum Ortloff. Leipzig.
2021: BIENALSUR. MACRO Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Rosario, Argentina.
2021: WIN/WIN. Die Ankäufe der Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen. HALLE 14, Leipzig.
2021: Rundgang50hertz prize. Hamburger Bahnhof. Berlin.
2021: Zodiaco. Instituto Tele Arte. Santiago, Chile.
2021: 18.VIDEONALE. Kunstmuseum Bonn.
2021: Ausbeutung. Sur les cendres de l’hacienda. Le Printemps de Toulouse
2021: Kurzsuechtig. Film Festival, Leipzig.
2020: 37. KASSELER DOK FEST. Kassel
2020: Verstärker Kunst-Film-Festival. GEH8. Dresden
2020: M20 / Ausstellung der Meisterschüler*innen HGB. A&O Leipzig
2020: No temas, la isla está llena de ruidos. Galería NAC. Santiago
2020: Experimental Cinema Festival of Bogotá, Colombia.
2020: BOOM. 500 JAHRE INDUSTRIEKULTUR IN SACHSEN. Zwickau. Germany
2019: PARADOKS. Organice by FILZ, GegenKino and Cinematheque. Leipzig.
2019: «Doble Filo: Geografías y Palabras« Museo de Coral Gables curada por Felix Suazo. Miami.
2019: MDBK-Mobill (Fine Arts Museum of Leipzig). Thallwitz, Germany.
2019: FLUX VideoCapsa. Arts Santa Mónica. Barcelona
2018: Más allá de lo que mis ojos alcanza a ver. Espacio el Cruce. Madrid.
2018: International Video Art Festival PROYECTOR. Madrid.
2017: Corpus Collective. Curator Kristina Semenova. Mala dvorana Pogona Jedinstvo, Zagreb, Croatia.
2017: 13 BIENAL DE ARTES MEDIALES. Juan Downey. Museo Nacional Bellas Artes. Santiago.
2017: LO APARENTEMENTE ABSURDO. Aniversario Festival Proyector. Espacio el Cruce. Madrid.
2017: FIVA video art Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2017: PLAYPEN 4 de Ad Miniloti, artista acompañante. Metales Pesados Gallery, Stgo, Chile.
2017: Exposición III Concurso ARTESPACIO JOVEN BBVA. Galería Artespacio. Santiago, Chile.
2017: HACIENDO DÍAS. Galería Centex. Curador: Juan José Santos. Valparaíso, Chile.
2017: DONDE HUBO FUEGO. Galería de Casa en Blanco. Santiago, Chile.
2017: Festival LOOP, City Screen 2017, Barcelona, España.
2016: PUERTAS CAMBIANTES. Video-installation exhibition. Galería Municipal Arte Joven, Valparaíso.
2016: NEO-FIGURACIÓN. Galería Artespacio.
2016: Municipal Santiago Awards, Young Artists Talent. Galería de la Posada del corregidor. Santiago.
2016: BANG! Festival. Video selected as part of the Proyector Best of program. Madrid
2015: Exhibition Young Artists Competition. MAC Quinta Normal (Contemporary Art Museum). Santiago.
2015: LUNES SANTO. Espacio O Galería. Curator: Arturo Duclós. Santiago, Chile.
2015: International Festival Film Perú ,19º edition. Video art selection. Lima, Perú.
2015: International Festival of Video Art Process of Error. Valparaíso, Chile.
2014: MIRADAS DE ENTORNO. Kunza, Mobile Art Gallery. La Serena, Ovalle and Coquimbo, Chile.
2014: Under the Subway Video Art Night, Local Project Art Space. Long Island City, New York.
2014: Buscando la historia que no existe. Gallery Visual Arts Universidad Finis Terrae. Santiago.
2014: International Video Art Festival PROJECTOR. 7th Edition. Madrid, Milan, Coimbra and Oaxaca.
2014: International Video Art Festival VideoBabel. Latin American Selected artist. Cuzco, Perú.
2014: International Media Art Festival LUMEN. Video Art competition Rolando Cardenas. Punta Arenas.
2014: International Video Dance Festival Expanded Corporalidad of Argentina. Buenos Aires.
2014: International Video Art Festival BYOB VALPO Gallery space G. Valparaiso, Chile.
2013: OBLICK, Union of artist in flight. Association culturelle, Atelier. Project of Galley airmail pilot. Paris.
2013: Exhibition Young Artists Competition. MAC Quinta Normal (Contemporary Art Museum). Santiago.
2012: VIDEO ART CHILE 1, Concreta Gallery Matucana 100. Santiago.
2011: FRAGMENTOS. Arte Joven Providencia Gallery. Santiago, Chile.
2011: PENDULOS Y PARALELAJES. Sala Macchina Gallery. Santiago, Chile.
Collections:
Kulturstiftung des Freistaats Sachse
Chilean National collection
Publications:
2023: VISITANTES. Published by SAPOSCAT, Chile. ISBN: 978-956-9866-29-6
2022: CAMA ARRENDADA. Published by SUR|NORTE Editoras. ISBN: 978-956-09757-2-0
2022: LIBRO DE CAMAS. Published by SUR|NORTE Editoras. ISBN: 978-956-09757-1-3
2021: 18.VIDEONALE catalogue https://v18.videonale.org/en/v18-ausstellung/ausstellungskatalog
2021: Rundgang50hertz Prize catalogue. Hamburger Bahnhof. National Galerie Staatliche Museen zu Berlin https://rundgang50hertz.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Rundgang50Hertz_2021.pdf
2021: Mujeres Artes Visuales en Chile / Women in the visual arts in Chile (2010-2020).
Chilean Ministry of Culture. Printed version ISBN: 978-956-352-381-2 / digital version ISBN: 978-956-352-382-9
https://www.cultura.gob.cl/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/mujeres-artes-visuales-chile.pdf
2021: VISITANTES. Self publication. Leipzig, Germany.
2016: DONDE HUBO FUEGO. Published by Casa en Blanco. Chile. http://www.casaenblanco.cl/ediciones/publicaciones/catlogo-donde-fuego-hubo
Awards / Grants
2024: Square Eyes Festival Consultation Award. Pitch DOK Leipzig.
2024: Fondo Audiovisual (Film), granted by the Ministry of Culture of Chile.
2024: Arbeitsstipendium, der Stadt Leipzig.
2023: Culture Moves Europe grant, granted by Geothe Institute.
2022: Arbeitsstipendium. Stiftung Kunstfonds. Bonn.
2022: Fondart for Creation (Art), granted by the Ministry of Culture of Chile.
2021: Rundgang50hertz Prize. Hamburger Bahnhof. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
2021: Projektförderung, NEUSTART, BBK Bundesverband Berlin.
2021: Work scholarship Kulturamt Leipzig.
2021: Fondart for Creation and Production, granted by the Ministry of Culture of Chile.
2020: GOLDEN CUBE Award. 37.Kasseler Dok Fest. Kassel.
2020: Featured Film of the Latin American selection. Bogota Experimental Cinema.
2020: Denkzeit Stipendium, Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen.
2019: Chile Crea Scholarship. granted by the Ministry of Culture of Chile.
2018: Fondart, Scholarship for studies granted by Ministry of Culture of Chile.
2016: DAAD. German Academic Exchange Service Scholarship.
2015: 1º prize Video Art, granted by Santiago Municipal Contest. Chile.
2014: Grant INVE, experimental video. Valparaíso, Chile.
Residences:
2023: Research Residency in DONDERS LAB of Neuroscience. Funded by Geothe Institute. Nijmegen. The Netherlands.
2023: Film Residence at Kulturhof Villach - Province of Carinthia. Austria
2018: MDBK-Mobill (Fine Arts Museum of Leipzig). Thallwitz, Germany.
2015: Chacalab. Film Residence. Valparaíso, Chile.
2014: INVE-Experimental Video Residence. Valparaíso, Chile.
Studies:
2017 - 2020: Meisterschüler in Media Arts by Prof. Clemens von Wedemeyer. Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig.
2016: Guest Student at the Expanded Cinema class. Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig (DAAD program).
2009 - 2012: Bachelor in Visual Arts at Finis Terrae University. Santiago, Chile.