Isabel León

Isabel León (Cáceres, 1974) is a Spanish visual artist, independent cultural organizer, and teacher. Bachelor in Fine Arts, Polytechnic University, Valencia, European Erasmus Scholarship in Athens (Greece) and Valencia Polytechnic University Scholarship in La Habana (Cuba). Master in Art Production and Research in Granada University (Spain), with the Final Thesis “Performance Art. Tools and resources for teaching it”. Her work has evolved from photography and video to performance art, practice that she is intensive dedicated since 2007, participating in numerous national and international festivals, action art meetings, and residencies, such us Museo Vostell Malpartida (2020, 2016, 2009 y 2007), Cicle d’ Art Centre del Carme (Valencia, 2019), FEM (Girona, 2019 y 2008), Cuerpo a Cuerpo (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 2019), School of Performance (Leópolis, Ucrania, 2019), Violencia Zero (Pontevedra, 2019 y 2018), Cáceres Abierto, (2019 y 2017), La Muga Caula 4, 5 y 15 (Girona, 2019, 2009 y 2008), Casa de las Conchas (Salamanca, 2020, y 2015), Festival Internacional de Arte Experimental MEM (Bilbao 2015 y 2016), , Festival Internacional de Arte de Acción Acción!MAD (Madrid, 2019, 2015, 2009 y 2001), Grüntaler9 (Berlín, 2016), Getxoarte (2016), Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Tetuán (2015), FADO, (Canadá, 2015), SAARI Residence (Finlandia, 2014), EAA Grants (Oslo-Noruega, 2014), Sierra Centro de Arte (Huelva, 2013), Abierto de Acción (Cartagena, 2014, Jaén, 2013, Murcia 2011), PoesiAcción! (Instituto Cervantes de Berlín, 2011), NauEstruch (Barcelona, 2010), o el Centre de Cultura Contemporánea Octubre (Valencia, 2010).

In 2016, she went back to the video as media of investigating action art beyond performing it live in front of an audience, conducting annual series of mini video performances that she shares on the Internet approximately once a week. Her passion for performance art pushes her to co-coordinate the EXCHANGE Live Art project with the artist Ana Matey, in which they research the Communication and Shared Creative Processes, taking action art as the main tool and subject, making residences, laboratories, encounters, and workshops. She also combines her artistic and organizing activity with teaching, conducting workshops in different contexts and institutions, such as art centers, universities, and independent spaces (University of Granada and Extremadura, Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, Sala El Águila in Madrid…)

Photographer: Anderer Winkel