MFA 2021 Artists

Paulina Fuenzalida-Guzmán

UMass Dartmouth 2021 MFA Thesis Exhibition

About Paulina Fuenzalida-Guzmán

Paulina Fuenzalida-Guzmán was born in Santiago, Chile. Her background is in interior design and journalism. In 2018, Paulina decided to move with her family to New Bedford, Massachusetts, to pursue an MFA in Fibers at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Earlier work addressed human rights violations during the collapse of democracy in Chile; her current body of work reflects the concept of identity as the result of oneself plus one’s circumstances.

In 2019, Paulina was received the Outstanding Student Award by the Surface Design Association, which recognizes excellence in Fiber graduate and undergraduate students. Currently, she is part of The Creative Process Exhibition, a project that is traveling to leading universities around the world.

Statement

We have all experienced physical, spiritual, or psychic pain at some point in our lives. Through textiles and handmade felt, I create pieces and installations that reflect these experiences of suffering and the resulting fragility. Regardless of language, race, or culture, I intend to show the viewer how we are connected and how we can relate to each other through our individual and collective pain. Art becomes the dimension in which I can transform grief into hope, fear into opportunity, and ugliness into beauty.