Camara Lucida

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Camara Lucida is an art school created in 2000 by the photographers Carolina Vásquez and Fernando Aceña that aimed to offer a new space of exploration and learning in Valparaiso, Chile.

« It is a space that was born around teaching, teaching photography, and which today also wishes to host other areas, {…} It’s a project that grew up, but did not have that claim, that is to say, that did not pretend to become a bigger project, and that now wants to keep a human size. And this has been going on for 18 years and I think that will not stop now » confides Carolina Vásquez, director of the school.

Forming photographers for almost two decades, Camara Lucida has become one of the most important independent photography school of Chile, providing theoretical, aesthetic, and conceptual teachings, as well as practical studies, preparing students from analog to digital photography, illumination, photo shooting, emulsion, projects and exhibitions production, black & white laboratory, postproduction…

Since its creation in the Harbor district of Valparaiso, the school moved its activities to a bigger space on the famous Cerro Concepción in 2007, before finally moving to a beautiful edifice style art nouveau close by the Aníbal Pinto Plaza. The building was a pension in the past, and Carolina Vásquez immediately thought of keeping the two comfortable rooms in the attic in order to receive artists and photographers in residence.

« I think several characteristics of the space, of the experiences of the 18-years school were combined, and the idea of residence was born as it was a product of something of consequence that had to be like that » explains Carolina Vasquez.

The residency program can vary from one week to a month, and the artists will have access to all the infrastructures of the school, participate in the numerous classes given, and can count on the support of all the school teachers and students to make their project come to light. In addition, the artists will be given the opportunity to exhibit in the gallery of the school the work developed during the residency.

« Fundamentally, I believe that someone who wants to develop their work in this environment or outside of it, which means, whether it’s a particular, conceptual or history work, they maintain the freedom to do so. I do not think anyone, in comparison to other places, thinks there’s any conflict with that. It is striking, you develop the work you want to develop, with the best help you can find here, a technical support so to speak, and what we are going to do is learn from what you do, that is the essence of this residence » indicates José Mogrol, professor of studio illumination and residency manager.