Donna Huanca’s artistic practice investigates aesthetic rituals, arrangements and displays to construct hyper-real narratives.
Her installations, sculptures and collages compose multiple simulacrums with discarded materials; such as, clothing, shoes, and ephemera.
Although embodied in a wide variety of media, her work expresses a thorough engagement with linguistic experimentation.
While delving into one of the most primordial and complex systems of communication, that of clothing, Huanca conveys distinctive and precise observations on the function of the garment, as an ever evolving manner of language production and a traditional form of cultural transmission.
Born in Chicago, Huanca received BFA from the University of Houston (2004). Studied at Städelschule, Frankfurt, Germany (2009-10). Awards include: DeGolyer Grant (2004), Dallas Museum of Art. DAAD artist grant (2009-10) Bonn, Germany, Art Matters Grant, NYC, NY (2010) and a Fulbright Scholarship (2012) to create a new body of work in Mexico City.
Residencies include: Skowhegan (2006) Maine, LMCC Workspace and SwingSpace Residency (2007-09) New York, NY, Art OMI (2008) Hudson, NY and the Headlands Center for The Arts (2008) in San Francisco, CA.
Publications of her work have been featured in DazedDigital, Wire, British VOGUE, F5 Moscow, NY Arts, ARTINFO.com, Art in America, and the Younger than Jesus Artist Directory published by the New Museum, NY amongst others.
Lives and works nomadically.