Cristian Ordóñez

Cristian Ordóñez

b. 1976
Toronto, Canada + Santiago, Chile

studio@cristianordonez.com
+ 1 647 928 9787 (Canada)
@c_ordonez

Publisher: Another Earth
Collaborations: Studio Cristian Ordóñez
Prints: Contact directly or María José Sagredo at Galería NAC (Chile)

AWARDS, HONOURS (selected)

2025 — Canada Council for the Arts. Research and Creation Grant (CA)
2024 — Toronto Art Council. Visual Artists: Creation Grant (CA)
2024 — Canada Council for the Arts. Travel Grant. Arts Abroad Residencies (CA)
2023 — OMNE - Osservatorio Mobile Nord Est. Land. Artist in Residence Award (IT)
2023 — Urbanautica Institute Awards. Winner. Nature, Environment and Perspectives (IT)
2023 — Getxophoto. Pause! Open Call 2023. Shortlisted (ES)
2022 — Canada Council for the Arts. Arts Abroad, Travel Grant (CA)
2022 — Ontario Arts Council. Exhibition Assistance Grant: 2022-2023 (CA)
2022 — Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Nominee (GE)
2022 — Ontario Arts Council. Exhibition Assistance Grant: 2021-2022 (CA)
2021 — Burtynsky Grant. Winner. CONTACT Photography Festival (CA)
2021 — Urbanautica Institute Awards. Winner. Representations of Space, Architecture, and Conflicts (IT)
2020 — Urbanautica Institute. Extinction. Shortlisted (IT)

ARTIST PUBLICATIONS

2025 — Unfold, Artist book
2023 — Frequency, ISBN: 978-1-7750281-4-7
2023 — Displace. Another Earth.
2022 — On Trial. acb press.
2021 — Notes (On Trial) 01, 02, and 03.
2019 — Other Voices, ISBN: 978-1-7750281-3-0
2018 — Time Regrets its Passing, ISBN: 978-1-7750281-0-9
2018 — Sink After the Sun, ISBN: 978-1-7750281-1-6
2017 — A Way to Disconnect and Connect. Ediciones Daga, ISBN: 978-956-9234-09-5

COLLECTIONS

2023 — MoMA - Museum of Modern Art, Archives & Library Collection (US)
2023 — National Gallery of Canada, Library & Archives Collection (CA)
2023 — Art Gallery of Ontario, Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives Collection (CA)
2023 — San Telmo Museum. Gabriela Cendoya Bergareche Collection (ES)
2023 — CONTACT Photobook Lab, CONTACT Photography Festival (CA)
2022 — National Gallery of Canada, Library & Archives Collection (CA)
2022 — National Library of Australia (AU)
2022 — State Library of Victoria (AU)
2022 — San Telmo Museum. Gabriela Cendoya Bergareche Collection (ES)
2019 — Art Gallery of Ontario, Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives Collection (CA)
2018 — York University Libraries Collection (CA)
2018 — Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, Colección (CL)

EXHIBITIONS, INSTALLATIONS (selected)

2025 — OMNE - Osservatorio Mobile Nord Est. Land (Castelfranco Veneto, Italy) forthcoming
2025 — 10 year anniversary, Silent Auction (group show). Sur Gallery (Toronto, Canada) forthcoming
2025 — Photorama: B-sides + Outtakes (group show). Gallery TPW (Toronto, Canada)
2025 — What Makes a Photobook Sustainable? (group show). CONTACT Photobook Lab, CONTACT Festival (Toronto, Canada)
2025 — A Smile Split by the Stars (group show). Gallery 44 (Toronto, Canada)
2024 — Paisaje Común. Galería Animal (group show) (Santiago, Chile)
2024 — Oripeau, Public Exhibition n°576 (Montréal, Canada)
2024 — Unfold (solo). Public Billboards. CONTACT Photography Festival (Toronto, Canada)
2023 — Rencontres de la photographie en Gaspésie. Valle (solo show) (Gaspésie, QC, Canada)
2023 — Rencontres de la photographie en Gaspésie. Photobook Exhibition and Panel Talk (group) (Gaspésie, QC, Canada)
2023 — PEP - Photographic Exploration Project. A Sense of Place (group show) (Berlin, Germany)
2023 — Gallery 44. Salon 44 (group show) (Toronto, Canada)
2023 — Museo de la Ciudad. Espacio Migrante (group show) (Santiago de Querétaro, México)
2023 — Workers Arts and Heritage Centre. The People United (group show) (Hamilton, Canada)
2023 — Project 107 Gallery. Displace (solo show) (Toronto, Canada)
2022 — Les Photaumnales, Faïencerie. Les livres du vécu (group show) (Allée Nelson, Creil, France)
2022 — Galería Animal. Frecuencia (solo show) (Santiago, Chile)
2022 — Sur Gallery. The People United (group show) (Toronto, Canada)
2022 — ARoS Aarhus Art Museum. The Artist as Author: Recent Canadian Photobooks (group show) (Aarhus, Denmark)
2022 — Bibliothèque Gabrielle-Bernard-Dubé. Les livres du vécu (group show) (Carleton, Canada )
2022 — Gallery 44. Salon 44 (group show) (Toronto, Canada)
2021 — Serchia Gallery. Read the Room (group show) (Bristol, UK)
2020 — Museum of Fine Arts. Sink After the Sun (solo show) (Nizhny Tagil, Russia)
2019 — Benaki Museum, Athens Photo Festival. Photobook Exhibition (group show) (Athens, Greece)
2019 — Space Place Gallery. Sink After the Sun (solo show) (Nizhny Tagil, Russia)
2018 — Usagi Gallery. The Vernacular of Landscape (group show) (Brooklyn, New York)
2018 — Subjectively Objective Gallery. The Vernacular of Landscape (group show) (Detroit, Michigan)
2018 — Month of Photography Festival. The Print Swap / Feature Shoot (group show) (Los Angeles, California)
2016 — Biennale De L’image Possible. The Night (group show) (Maastricht, Netherlands)

FAIRS

2023 — CONTACT Photobook Fair. Stephen Bulger Gallery (CA)
2021 — Artsy, Latin American Galleries Now. Galería Animal.
2019 — CONTACT Photobook Fair. Stephen Bulger Gallery (CA)
2018 — Vancouver Art Book Fair. Emily Carr University (CA)
2018 — CONTACT Photobook Fair. Stephen Bulger Gallery (CA)
2018 — Toronto Art Book Fair. Chinatown Centre (CA)
2017 — Toronto Art Book Fair. Artscape Youngplace (CA)

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLICATIONS

2025 — La Visión de los Ciudadanos de San Pedro de Atacama. Edited by Eduardo Ordonez-Ponce and Cristian Ordóñez (CA)
2024 — What Makes a Photobook Sustainable?. Edited by Tamsin Green. Published by Manual Editions (UK)
2023 — Multinacionales y Comunidades. Edited by Eduardo Ordonez-Ponce and Cristian Ordóñez (CA)
2021 — Nothing Special. Edited by Marlo Onilla (CA)
2020 — Extinction. The World Without Us. Curated by Steve Bisson. ISBN: 978-88-32108-10-1 (IT)
2020 — 100 x 100 Diseño. Curated by Patricio Pozo. Editorial Pozo Marcic Ensamble. (CL)
2018 — Colección del Metalibro N°2. Edited by Javiera Novoa, Text by Mónica Salinero. ISBN: 978-1-7750281-2-3 (CL)
2018 — The Vernacular of Landscape. Curated by Noah Waldeck, Subjectively Objective. ISBN: 978-0-9996596-0-1 (US)
2016 — Night. Biennale De L’image Possible. Self-Published. (NL + BE)
2015 — Interval Mag N°1. Edited by Sebastián Rodríguez, Ediciones Daga (CL)

DESIGN DIRECTION, EDITION

2025 — Felicidad Terrena, by Daniel Fleitas, with Brad Zellar (ES) forthcoming
2025 — Building Post-Carbon Futures, by Billy Fleming, with Jennifer Sigler. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (US) forthcoming
2025 — The Crossing, by Ruth Kaplan (CA) forthcoming
2025 — Elements, by Tim Whiten. Published by Art Gallery of York University (CA) forthcoming
2025 — Motherhouse, by Abbey Meaker. Published by Another Earth (US + CA) forthcoming
2025 — A Smile Split by the Stars, by Katherine McKittrick, Artist-Book (CA)
2025 — A Smile Split by the Stars, with Katherine McKittrick, Sameen Mahboubi and Nasrin Himada. Exhibition. Gallery 44 (CA)
2025 — La Visión de los Ciudadanos de San Pedro de Atacama, with Eduardo Ordonez-Ponce. Athabasca University (CA)
2024 — Twenty Dreams, by Katherine McKittrick. Self-Published (CA)
2024 — Set Pieces, by Diamond Schmitt Architects. Published by Birkhäuser (GE)
2024 — A Narrow Foothold, by Alan Huck and Jonas Feige. Published by Another Earth (US + CA)
2024 — Sugarbush Road, by James Helmer. Self-Published (CA)
2023 — How to Understand a Rock, by Kate Schneider. Supported by Penumbra Foundation (US)
2023 — What Makes a Lake?. Published by Another Earth (US + CA)
2023 — Trick Not Telos by Katherine McKittrick. Self-Published (CA)
2022 — Signals. Published by Another Earth (US + CA)
2022 — S*x, P*rn & Feminism, by Mónica Muñoz and Pol Rodríguez. Published by Metalibro (CL)
2021 — Land Chapters. Published by Another Earth (US)
2021 — La montagne qui hurle, by Betty Bogaert. Self-Published (CA)
2018 — Diamond Schmitt Architects, with Frontier. Text by Paddy Harrington. Self-Published (CA)
2018 — The Deepest Lake, by Brian W. Ferry. Published by Paripé Books (AR)
2018 — Farm Book, by Andrew Blake McGill. Self-Published (CA)
2017 — Spring Tide, by Andrew Querner. Text by Brent Comber. Self-Published (CA)
2016 — Street Art Exhibition. XXI Triennale di Milano: City After the City Pavilion. BMD, with Curation by Nina Bassoli (IT)
2016 — New Aging, by Matthias Hollwich with Bruce Mau Design. Penguin Books (US)

PUBLICATIONS STOCKLIST

Tokyo Museum of Photography, Tokyo (JP)
Printed Matter, New York (US)
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal (CA)
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo (JP)
Vyon Lambert, Paris (FR)
The PhotoBook Lab, Toronto (CA)
Books and Sons, Tokyo, (JP)
Perimeter Distribution, Melbourne (AU)
Book Obscure, Tokyo (JP)
Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland (AU)
Flotsam, Tokyo (JP)
FLaCH Tienda Galería, Santiago (CL)
Post Books, Tokyo (JP)
Books Cairn, Tokyo (JP)
Kinokuniya, Sydney (AU)
Nadiff A/P/A/R/T, Tokyo (JP)
Art Metropole, Toronto (CA)
Arcana Books, Los Angeles (US)
Wolf Books, Arnhem (NL)
So Books, Tokyo (JP)
On Sunday's, Tokyo (JP)

CV (English)

I would like to acknowledge the financial support through grants and awards from:
Canada Council for the Arts
Ontario Arts Council
Toronto Arts Council
OMNE - Osservatorio Mobile Nord Est
The Burtynsky Grant, CONTACT Photography Festival

b. 1976
Toronto, Canada + Santiago, Chile

studio@cristianordonez.com
+ 1 647 928 9787 (Canada)
@c_ordonez

Publisher: Another Earth
Collaborations: Studio Cristian Ordóñez
Prints: Contact directly or María José Sagredo at Galería NAC (Chile)

ARTIST PUBLICATIONS

EXHIBITIONS, INSTALLATIONS (selected)

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLICATIONS

Work

Untitled (Atacama)
Unfold
Valle
OMNE, Land (Artist Residency)
Frequency
On Trial
Displace
Trama
Untitled (Sequel)

Publications

Unfold
Frequency B-Sides
Frequency
Displace
Notes 01, 02, 03 (On Trial)
On Trial
Other Voices
Sink After the Sun
Time Regrets its Passing
A Way to Disconnect and Connect

Exhibitions, Editions

Paisaje Común
Unfold
Frecuencia
Valle
On Trial
Displace
Trama

Collaborations

A Smile Split by the Stars
A Narrow Foothold
Set Pieces
Twenty Dreams
What Makes a Lake?
Trick Not Telos
Signals
La Triennale di Milano
How to Understand a Rock
Nothing Special
The Deepest Lake
Farm Book
Spring Tide
Terrain Notes

Info

News

Untitled (Atacama)
Unfold
Valle
OMNE, Land (Artist Residency)
Frequency
On Trial
Displace
Trama
Untitled (Sequel)

Untitled (Atacama)
Unfold
Valle
OMNE, Land (Artist Residency)
Frequency
On Trial
Displace
Notes (On Trial) 01, 02, 03
Trama
Untitled (Sequel)

Info
Publications
News

Untitled (Atacama)...
Valle
Paisaje Común, at Galería Animal
Unfold
Unfold Billboards, at Contact Photography Festival
OMNE, Land (Artist Residency)
Frecuencia, at Galería Animal
Frequency, b-sides
Frequency
On Trial
Displace
Displace at Project 107 Gallery
Notes (On Trial) 03
Notes (On Trial) 02
Notes (On Trial) 01
Trama at Sur Gallery
Untitled (Sequel)

Info
Publications
News

[ENG]
Once Chile recovered its democracy in 1990, a remarkable process of western-style development (Moore, 1966) started based on an economic model that delivered macroeconomic progress (The World Bank, 2021), but which has left behind many communities across the country (Benedikter & Zlosilo, 2017; Fábrega, 2019; Siavelis, 2010). Just like many other of the so-called high-income countries, there are still communities in Chile living in poor conditions, despite the incorporation of Chile to the OECD in 2010 and the international recognition of the Chilean model of development (Richards, 1997).
The Huasco Valley is one of those places still left behind. Located in the south of the Atacama Desert and known as the last valley before entering the driest desert on earth, the Huasco river gives life to the valley, its people and their ways of living. The Valley is formed by four main communities (namely Huasco, Freirina, Vallenar, and Alto del Carmen) reaching a population of about 72,000 people distributed along 150 km from the Pacific Ocean up to more than 4,000 m.a.s.l. in The Andes. The main economic activities of the region, other than services, are by far mining (41% of the regional GDP) with one of the highest GDP per capita among regions in Chile (Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, n.d.) but still with many unsolved socio-environmental issues (Environmental Justice Atlas, n.d.; Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos, n.d.), reflecting the inequality Chile still suffers . Although the Valley has been subject to the development of industrial and mining projects for years (Bolados-García et al., 2021), emblematic developments have been cancelled due to public pressure and the companies’ poor socio-environmental practices, despite being approved by authorities. These include mining, agroindustry and energy projects. Some of the identified impacts of these projects include high levels of heavy metals in children and local produce, intolerable odours from pig carcasses, pollution of the local sea by mining tailings and long-lasting sediments in the Huasco river (Insunza, 2015; Myllyvirta et al., 2020; Vargas Aceituno, 2014). As seen, academic literature, as well as NGO research, show vast evidence of the social and environmental impact of these projects in the communities of the Valley.
Under this troubling scenario of development, investment, justice and distrust, conflicts appear due to the unfair distribution of social and environmental ‘goods’ and ‘bads’ that threaten the health, livelihood and social identities of these communities (Scheidel et al., 2020). Industrial territorial interventions, while creating employment, paying taxes and benefitting the local economy, also bring negative externalities that affect people’s ways of living, they hardly distribute economic benefits equally, and governments usually behave unilaterally (Amengual, 2018).
This work focuses on those communities and their territories with the aim of understanding the rationale of development and the potential role that multinationals play in it. After visiting the Valley, talking to its citizens and photographing its diverse landscape from the ocean to the mountain, we found a sensation of uncertainty and abandonment, and our work reflects the visible and invisible, the ephemeral and permanent, the transformations, adaptations, relationships and the intertwined conflicts existing across the valley.

Text by Eduardo Ordonez-Ponce, PhD.
Associate Professor, Athabasca University

[ESP]
Una vez que Chile recuperó su democracia en 1990, este comenzó un notable proceso de desarrollo de estilo occidental (Moore, 1966) basado en un modelo económico que generó progreso macroeconómico (The World Bank, 2021), pero que ha dejado atrás a muchas comunidades en todo el país (Benedikter & Zlosilo, 2017; Fábrega, 2019; Siavelis, 2010). Al igual que muchos otros de los llamados países de altos ingresos, en Chile aún existen comunidades que viven en condiciones precarias, a pesar de la incorporación de Chile a la OCDE en 2010 y el reconocimiento internacional del modelo chileno de desarrollo (Richards, 1997) .
El Valle de Huasco es uno de esos lugares que aún quedan atrás. Ubicado al sur del Desierto de Atacama y conocido como el último valle antes de ingresar al desierto más árido de la tierra, el río Huasco da vida al valle, a su gente y a sus formas de vivir. El Valle está formado por cuatro comunidades principales (Huasco, Freirina, Vallenar y Alto del Carmen) alcanzando una población de alrededor de 72.000 personas distribuidas a lo largo de 150 km desde el Océano Pacífico hasta más de 4.000 m.s.n.m. en la Cordillera de Los Andes. Las principales actividades económicas de la región, además de los servicios, son por lejos la minería (41% del PIB regional) con uno de los PIB per cápita más altos entre las regiones de Chile (Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, n.d.), pero aún con muchos problemas socioambientales sin resolver (Environmental Justice Atlas, d.f.; Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos, n.d.), que reflejan la desigualdad que aún sufre Chile. Si bien el Valle ha sido objeto del desarrollo de proyectos industriales y mineros durante años (Bolados-García et al., 2021), proyectos emblemáticos han sido cancelados por la presión pública y las malas prácticas socioambientales de las empresas, a pesar de haber sido aprobados por autoridades. Estos incluyen proyectos de minería, agroindustria y energía. Algunos de los impactos identificados de estos proyectos incluyen altos niveles de metales pesados impactando niños y productos locales, olores intolerables de los cadáveres de cerdos, contaminación del mar local por relaves mineros y sedimentos de larga duración en el río Huasco (Insunza, 2015; Myllyvirta et al. al., 2020; Vargas Aceituno, 2014). Como se ve, la literatura académica, así como las investigaciones de las ONG, muestran vasta evidencia del impacto social y ambiental de estos proyectos en las comunidades del Valle.
Bajo este preocupante escenario de desarrollo, inversión, justicia y desconfianza, aparecen conflictos por la injusta distribución de 'bienes' y 'males' sociales y ambientales que amenazan la salud, el sustento y la identidad social de estas comunidades (Scheidel et al., 2020). Las intervenciones territoriales industriales, si bien crean empleo, pagan impuestos y benefician la economía local, también traen externalidades negativas que afectan las formas de vida de las personas, difícilmente distribuyen los beneficios económicos de manera equitativa y los gobiernos suelen actuar de manera unilateral (Amengual, 2018).
Este trabajo se centra en esas comunidades y sus territorios con el objetivo de comprender la lógica del desarrollo y el papel potencial que las multinacionales juegan en él. Luego de visitar el Valle, conversar con sus habitantes y fotografiar su diverso paisaje desde el mar hasta la montaña, nos encontramos con una sensación de incertidumbre y abandono, y nuestra obra refleja lo visible e invisible, lo efímero y permanente, las transformaciones, adaptaciones, relaciones y los conflictos entrelazados que existen en todo el valle.

Texto de Eduardo Ordóñez-Ponce, PhD.
Profesor asociado, Universidad de Athabasca

Back to Valle

Texto de Eduardo Ordóñez-Ponce, PhD.
Profesor asociado, Universidad de Athabasca

Back to Valle

Photographs

Untitled (Atacama)...
Valle
Unfold
OMNE, Land (Artist Residency)
Frequency
On Trial
Displace
Notes 01, 02, 03 (On Trial)
Trama
Untitled (Sequel)

Shows and Workshops

Paisaje Común
Espacio Migrante
Sequence and Structure Workshop

Info
Publications
News

Untitled (Atacama)
Unfold
Valle
Frequency
OMNE, Land (Artist Residency)
On Trial
Displace
Notes (On Trial) 01, 02, 03
Trama
Untitled (Sequel)

Info
Publications
News