Artist of the Year 2023 - La Chola Poblete

The award “Artist of the Year” is given at the recommendation of the Deutsche Bank Global Art Advisory Council, consisting of the renowned curators Hou Hanru, Udo Kittelmann and Victoria Noorthoorn. The award goes to a contemporary artist who has created an oeuvre that is artistically and socially relevant integrating the media of paper and photography, the two main areas of focus of the Deutsche Bank Collection.

La Chola Poblete has been named Deutsche Bank's “Artist of the Year” for 2023. Born in 1989 in Mendoza (Argentina), she is the fourteenth artist honored by the bank. The Argentinian critically examines the consequences of colonialism and white supremacy in her home country. In paintings, watercolors, sculptures, and performances, she reflects on her indigenous and queer roots and opposes the stereotyping and exoticization of indigenous peoples. As part of the award, La Chola Poblete will present her first solo exhibition in Europe at Berlin’s PalaisPopulaire in the fall of 2023.

She creates independent hybrid forms and an artistic beauty that defies cultural and racial stereotypes. Her works often move between drawing and painting. Her delicate, masterfully composed watercolors combine the symbolism and mythology of South American peoples with her own reflections on sexuality, religion, politics, ecology, and history. Poblete is part of the queer artist collective Comparsa Drag. With the help of her alter ego La Chola, she constructs a hybrid cultural and sexual identity in performative actions.

Click here to find out more information about the Deutsche Bank "Artist of the Year" programme.