Marita Contreras
www.maritacontreras.com
participant in
VIP – VideoChannel Interview
VAD – Video Art Database
CologneOFF V – 5th Cologne Online Film Festival 2009
Biography
I was born in Lima, Perú, a country ravaged by terrorism and civil unrest. Despite its chaos, Perú is also a land of great natural and artistic beauty. My country’s conflict between violence and aesthetics has served as the greatest influence on my work.
After graduating from college in Perú, I immigrated to the United States to pursue a MS in Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas. My engineering career allowed me to escape the restrictions placed upon women in my homeland as a result of gender. Still, while working as an engineer, I continued to pursue my life-long interest in fine arts. After years of being torn between my daily professional career and my nightly classes, I finally decided to fully devote myself to the study of art.
My journey took me to New York City where I obtained a MFA degree in Photography, Video and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts. I currently live and work in Florida exploring my vision through photography, video and installation. I teach Film classes (Experimental Film and Video, The Documentary, Elements of Film) at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.