“Her act of painting on urban walls, filling them with the memory of many travestis, is one of transformative justice, of explosive insurgency. Her line has the force of volcanoes: it is destruction and creation at the same time.” — Antü Catrileo
Mapuche trans visual artist, Poleo Painemal, defines her painting practice as “Travesti Realism”, focusing on portraiture as a device for memory and homage. Through oil, water-based enamel, and other pictorial techniques, she explores travesti, trans, and non-binary realities in Chile, in dialogue with Indigenous, anti-colonial, anti-racist, and body-diversity struggles.
Her work seeks to bring historically invisibilized existences into the public sphere, portraying them with dignity and resistance. Painemal’s practice spans easel painting and large-scale murals, where monumentality becomes a political gesture. She also expands her practice into management and curatorial work, creating collective spaces of care and visibility for LGBTIQANB+ artists.
Poleo Painemal lives and works in Santiago.