Bio
Silvina Sisterna is a visual and socially engaged artist based in Dublin. Originally from Argentina, her work centres on collaborating with migrant women, using photography and moving images to empower and reflect their identities. In her latest project, "Points of Encounter," Silvina collaborated with the Nepantla Collective, a group she co-founded in 2023 with Latin American women. The outcomes of the ten-month project were exhibited at the Photo Museum Ireland last June.
She holds a Master's degree in Fine Art from TU Dublin, with First Class Honours, earned in 2022. Some of her recent awards include the AIC Project Realization Award in 2023, the 2023 Create and FSAS Residency Award, and the 2023 AIC Mentorship, all funded by the Art's Council through Create, the national organization of collaborative practices. Silvina was also selected to participate in the 2023 Summer School on Collaborative Practice and Social Change, as well as The RASL Summer Studio 2022 in Rotterdam.
Statement of Practice
As a socially engaged artist, my collaborative practice immerses me within communities, promoting dialogue, mutual learning, and empowerment. Over the past year, I have worked with the Nepantla Collective, conducting weekly experimental workshops, group discussions, artists' talks, and cultural activities such as museum visits and photo walks. Influenced by Gloria Anzaldúa's theories, I explore the realities of women from post-colonial backgrounds and develop critical thinking through collaborative conceptual art addressing political and social issues.
My methodology emphasizes participation and inclusivity, using diverse photographic techniques—digital, analogue, and alternative processes—to explore and express creatively shared experiences and identities. These activities facilitate deep, meaningful interactions and long-lasting relationships.
By engaging with migrant women in these practices, I aim to cultivate community and solidarity, empowering them to voice their stories through art. My practice is a dialogue between my artistic vision and the communities' lived experiences, producing art that reflects our identities and has a transformative social and political impact.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2022, Master in Creative Arts - Fine Art, Technological University of Dublin.
2011, Postgraduate In Cultural And Communication Management, FLACSO Argentina.
2009, Bachelor in Educational Psychology, Universidad de Flores, Argentina.
Workshops and projects
January 2023 - June 2024, Points of Encounter with the Nepantla Collective. Supported by Create, the Art's Council, Photo Museum Ireland and Temple Bar Galleries + Studios.
October 2021 - September 2022, Nos/Otras Project Master’s Project, TU Dublin.
2020-Ongoing, An isolated state of mind.
Conferences and papers
School of Art and Design Research Symposium, ‘Border Lens: Intersections between Migration and a Collaborative Art Practice’, Technological University of Dublin - June 2024.
School of Art and Design Research Symposium, ‘Border Lens: Intersections between Migration and a Collaborative Art Practice’, Technological University of Dublin - June 2024.
Impacted! The Impact of the Impact Seminar. Empowering communities? Interrogating the Ethics in Artistic Practice’. Fire Station Artists Studios - May 2024.
Upcoming Book Publication 2025, ‘Participatory Visual Media Production: Identity Negotiation and Cultural Belonging in a Latin American Migrant Collective’, Co-authored chapter in upcoming Publication Socially Engaged Art Across Ireland: Contested Narratives, Places and Futures (Cork University Press, 2025).
Exhibitions
Points of Encounter, a Nepantla Collective’s Exhibition. Photo Museum Ireland - June 2024
MA Creative Arts Grad Show, TU Dublin, September 2022.
Awards and residences
Create & FSAS Residency Award 2023 recipient - AIC Scheme, June 2023. A four-week residency focused on the professional development of artists who are developing or consolidating their collaborative/ socially engaged arts practice.
Awards and residences
Create & FSAS Residency Award 2023 recipient - AIC Scheme, June 2023. A four-week residency focused on the professional development of artists who are developing or consolidating their collaborative/ socially engaged arts practice.
Summer School Collaborative Practice and Social Change 2023, June 2023. Selected for a six-day residency delivered in partnership with Create and Counterpoints Arts with funding support from The Arts Council of Ireland.
RASL Rotterdam Summer Studio 2022, July 2022
Selected for a ten-day transdisciplinary workshop about re-imaging tomorrow’s water climate through the arts and sciences.
Selected for a ten-day transdisciplinary workshop about re-imaging tomorrow’s water climate through the arts and sciences.
2023 Artist Mentoring Award Recipient - AIC Scheme. June 2023 - January 2024.
Over six months, I engaged in dialogue with John Conway around my collaborative socially engaged practice.
Over six months, I engaged in dialogue with John Conway around my collaborative socially engaged practice.