Minga Opazo

Minga Opazo is a fourth-generation textile crafter who explores the relationship between climate change, contemporary textile production, and Chilean textile history and design. Born in Chile, Minga immigrated to Los Angeles at the age of 16. Opazo's recent works question the textile industry by creating a series of cultural works that explore the idea of solastalgia, a term which describes the mental or existential distress caused by environmental change and living in an era of excess, constantly consuming and throwing away. In her practice, she is dedicated to research the textile industry further and to create work that exposes, reflects, and finds a solution to the current situation of the textile waste industry.

She completed her BFA at University of California, Berkeley in 2016 and her MFA at California Institute of the Arts, 2020. Opazo exhibited works across the US and Latino America, including the Museum of Visual art of Santiago, Chile, ACRE gallery in Chicago, and the Bunker Art Space part of the Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody. In Los Angeles, her work has been shown at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture and Gavlak Gallery. She has been awarded with various residencies including Banff Art Center, ACRE residency, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Anderson Ranch Art Center, Mass MOCA and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. She recently had her work published in Artforum, Lum art magazine and American Science magazine.