Malena Souto Arena
Curator, Argentina
Malena Souto Arena (Buenos Aires, 1989) holds a degree in Cinema Art from the University of Cinema of Buenos Aires. She is curator, teacher and researcher specialized in film, sound, audiovisual, electronic and digital art, experimenting on physical and virtual exhibitions. Malena is interested on proposals that links exhibition curation, strategic communication and academic programs related to philosophy and art theory.
She currently is associate curator at Espacio Pla, a platform of cultural management and production focused on electronic digital art.
In 2013 she launched the audiovisual department of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires.
She has been jury of the Itau Visual Arts Award 2019-20 in the special category art with robotic technology. She was also juror of the Biennial of Moving Image Award of Tres de Febrero National University in 2022 and of the Osde Foundation Arts Awards.
She curated exhibitions at the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires, San Martin National Art Center, Recoleta Cultural Center, Museum of Cinema of Buenos Aires, Pla Space, Palace of Glace, National House of the Bicentennial, Fine Arts Pavilion of the Catholic University of Argentina, Mar de Plata Museum of Contemporary Art, TABAKALERA, Center of Contemporary Art of Spain, among others.
Malena is professor at the University of Cinema, teaching in the subjects of History of electronic visual and the seminar multimedia art. She also offered seminars and talks at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, International Festival of Audiovisual Appropriation of Lima, Peru; International Festival of Digital Culture Plus Code, Study Group on Medial Arts of the National University of Arts.
Malena has published critical essays at the Argentinian and Latin American Art Critical Contest of Proa Foundation and the Argentine Association of Art Critics; La Fuga, academic journal of film studies of Chile; Siegen Museum of Contemporary Art; Elisava. School of Design and Communication of Pompeu Fabra University, among others.
HICP 2024: She works on a research project about installations and expanded image shows. She examines the transformation of the nature of the image through the installation device as well as exhibition designs conceptualizing the symbolic, narrative, and material aspects of the artworks. She will document this process to create a digital publication and a public presentation for the institutions involved.