Villamil & Villamil – Artist Statement
We are Villamil & Villamil, a duo of brothers and artists, Felipe (1991) and Sebastián Villamil (1994), from Bogotá, Colombia.
Our practice explores the continuous cycles of translation between images that proliferate in the digital world and their rendering into tangible reality. These cycles reshape materiality while simultaneously leaving new ways of understanding and reading the world in their wake. We are interested in how this constant metamorphosis of images influences human perception, often compressing complex experiences into flattened, one-dimensional models. In today’s systems of visibility, where to be seen is to be valued, consumed, and ultimately reduced to image, our work reflects on this condition, tracing the circulation of images and the feedback loops they generate as they transform reality.
Our artistic practice is also closely connected to curatorial work. In 2024, together with colleagues Juan Obando and Stanley Buglass, we co-founded Chica, an independent gallery in Phoenix that transformed an office space into a site for international dialogue and experimentation. Inspired by the tradition of artist-run spaces, Chica brought together internationally recognized artists such as Meriem Bennani, Sofia Reyes and Yoshua Okón with emerging artists from the local community, drawing wide audiences and establishing itself as a meaningful addition to the cultural landscape of Phoenix. The project continues to foster exchanges between local and global practices and creates opportunities for young artists to experiment and connect outside traditional institutional structures.