Belén Santillán is an Ecuadorian artist and educator based in Oslo. Her work moves through the intersections of art and critical pedagogy, imagining how institutions might open spaces for creative expression and collective learning.
Belén is part of Tenthaus, where she contributes to the artistic coordination of P1, the collective’s international residency and public program. In collaboration with Tenthaus, she has developed public programs for Momentum 12 – Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art, Tegnetriennalen 2023, and Stedsveven (2024–2026), a long-term public art commission by Oslo Kommune Kunstsamling.
Her recent project, El Micromuseo de Plantas Migrantes, extends this pedagogical and institutional inquiry. Conceived as a self-made museum, it examines migration and language as sites of resistance through performative lectures, installations, and low-fi films.
Her projects have recently been presented at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter – DKS-LAB for kritikere, the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA), and Singapore Art Museum (SAM), often taking shape as workshops and public programs grounded in collaborative processes.
1: “Plant a flag, start a branch” - El micro museo de plantas migrantes (2024) // Image credits: Marie Cole
2: “Flag at Kunstnernes Hus for official opening ceremony” - El micro museo de plantas migrantes (2024) // Image credits: Belén Santillán
3: Arkipel (2024) // Image credits: Henie Onstad Kunstsenter
4: Arkipel (2024) // Image credits: Henie Onstad Kunstsenter
5. El micro museo de plantas migrantes (2024) // Image credits: Julie Hrnčířová
6. Unguided Tour (2023) // Image credits: Galleri F15
