Resumen

SANTAMARIA, Cristina. ARTISTIC ECOSYSTEMS: ACTANTS, TENTACULAR THINKING AND NEW MATERIALITIES. Índex [online]. 2025, n.19, pp.134-143. ISSN 2477-9199.  https://doi.org/10.26807/cav.v10i19.641.

This article synthesizes the research project Ecos Vivarium, developed within the Visual Arts School – Curatorial Studies Itinerary – at the Universidad de las Artes in Guayaquil. It examines how contemporary curatorship has transcended the mere selection and exhibition of artworks to become a space for knowledge production and interdisciplinary convergence. Through the study of the exhibitions Todos los caminos llevan aquí (Galería CIF, Mz14, Guayaquil, 2024) and Ecos Vivarium (Casa de las Posadas, Red de Casas Patrimoniales, Cuenca, 2024), the research reflects on the incorporation of living matter in contemporary art projects, highlighting the need to diversify bioethical debates and emphasize non-human agency. The study is grounded in theoretical frameworks by Haraway (2016), Bennett (2010), and Bal (2002), whose contributions shape a tentacular approach that interconnects multiple materialities and expands interpretative possibilities. In this regard, the article argues that curatorial practice, by integrating space, image, and narrative, fosters the construction of open meanings and transforms artistic practices, thus broadening the investigative potential of contemporary art.

Palabras clave : artistic ecosystems; actants; tentacular thinking; new materialities; nonhuman agency; social ontology; ecocriticism; posthumanism; new materialisms.