Sebastián Calfuqueo's work is characterized by critical reflexions on the cultural, social, and political contingency of the Mapuche people in relation to the territory today called Chile. Through media such as ceramics, installation, video, and performance, they explore the differences between the Indigenous world and Western culture, highlighting the problems that continue to affect bodies and territories. Their work looks at the construction of history through the archive, taking them to the present to link with sexual dissidences, problems of extractivism and environmental degradation, racism, and other pressing issues. 

Calfuqueo is part of the Mapuche collective Rangiñtulewfü and Yene magazine. Of Mapuche origin, their work draws on their cultural heritage as a starting point to propose a critical reflection on the social, cultural and political status of the Mapuche subject within current Chilean society. Brizuela is the Class of 1930 Chair of the Center for Latin American Studies, and a professor of film & media and spanish & portuguese at the University of California Berkeley with affiliations in the program in critical theory and gender and women’s studies. She is also a project director and co-PI for the Mellon funded International Consortium of Critical Theory Programs.

Presented by the Center for Latin American Studies.

Participants and topics are subject to change; visit Berkeley Arts + Design (artsdesign.berkeley.edu) for the most up-to-date series information.