Anita Paillamil

Anita Paillamil is a Mapuche master weaver and researcher who is best known for her weaving work for the collaborative art project known as "Encoded Textiles." She was selected as a part of the Smithsonian Institution's Artist Leadership Initiative and was honored in 2014 by the World Fair Trade Organization for her contributions to the preservation and research on textile art.

Personal life

Paillamil is from Nueva Imperial. She was part of Fundación Chol Chol, a fair trade organization dedicated to the indigenous Mapuche communities.

Career

Work as an Artist In 2012, Paillamil worked with Chilean artist Guillermo Bert to create his "Encoded Textiles," which combined traditional mapuche weaving with QR Code designs and were featured in multiple exhibits including 'Guillermo Bert: Encoded Textiles' (2012) at the Pasadena Museum of California Art

In 2021, her work was displayed in the exhibit “Meli Newen – Cuatro Fuerzas,” which was sponsored by Temuco Catholic University as part of their COVID-19 pandemic art initiative “Tejido de Fraternidad.”

Work as a researcher

In 2014, she was a participant Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian's Artist Leadership Program and traveled to the Smithsonian Institution to research Mapuche photographs, textiles and iconography and then share her research with the Indigenous Association Wallontu Witral cooperative, located near Temuco, Chile. In 2015, Paillamil presented her weaving and represented Chile at the World Expo in Milan.

Resources