Abstract

Enfermedades Preciosas can be taken as a journal chronicling, in an artistic and personal language, the course undertaken by Cecilia Avendaño during the five-year research, in which - inspired by classical portraiture, and through digital post-production - the artist explores the contemporary issues regarding the manipulation of beauty and identity, the somatisation of the female body and its complex relations with the psyche and culture. The book - limited bilingual edition of 500 numbered and signed copies - gathers the 18 images that comprise the Enfermedades Preciosas for the first time, of which 11 had remained unpublished. In addition to Cecilia Avendaño's artworks, the publication compiles essays in Spanish and English by curator Andrea Jösch, writer Rocío Cano, investigator Elsa McCausland, and art theoretician Sergio Rojas; illustrations by Daniela Ramírez and Álvaro Arteaga, and graphic design by Patricio Vallejos.