Renato Órdenes San Martín’s artistic world is shaped by inheritance—of stories, beliefs, and a deeply rooted connection to the spectral and the unseen. Renato's art is not simply personal expression but an ongoing dialogue with memory, ancestry, and the forces that shape human experience. With a foundation built on the narratives of family—healers, storytellers, and spiritual guides—paintings become vessels for both the mystical and the everyday. Through a practice that oscillates between intuition and critical inquiry, exploration of history, culture, and identity unfolds. No search for purity, but instead an embrace of the entanglement of influences, the multiplicity of artistic lineage, and the transformative nature of storytelling.

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Does spirituality or a connection to something larger than yourself influence your creative process?

I collect other people's experiences and narratives that, in some way, permeate my imagination. I like to listen to stories and then translate them into paintings. The whole construction of my being, from childhood to the present, has emerged from a kind of performative narration of the personal stories of my relatives, that is, from something that transcends me as an individual. My grandmother Ema and my aunt Quena were healers and curanderas; from them comes my belief in spirits and demons, in spectral forms of non-human existence and life, in ghosts, spectres and mediums, in oracles and divination. All of these have been part of my imagination and my beliefs since I was a child, things in which I firmly believe and which I continue to hold as a point of view and creative engine of my art.

Do you believe an artist's passion is something destined or a conscious choice?

I do works that sustain my life, works that allow me to breathe and bear it. I make works because it is vital; without them, I become alienated, I become someone other than myself, someone more empty and sad. Art has saved my life on many occasions, it has allowed me to be reborn and to stay alive. I would not be lying when I say that every dimension of my existence is crossed by art, and this is a conscious decision. My days and nights are marked by this relationship between art and life. With it, I cover everything that surrounds me. I share this vision of the world with those close to me, whom I love, and with the people who join me on this path. For me, that is passion. If this is called destiny or predestination, I believe it is nothing more than my own will manifesting itself.

Do you feel a personal connection to your subject matter is essential? How has this connection shaped your work?

All work is, in a way, autobiographical. Therefore, everything I do refers to some emotion, memory, taste, experience, feeling or obsession. I try, in this sense, to be connected to my work, because I feel it should be so. Every subject I deal with is part of my history, of my family memory, of my current readings, of my interests and concerns. And not only do I link my art-making to artistic expression; but it is also important to consider critical thinking, explorative mood, metaphorical thinking, creativity and a language of my own, which are fundamental elements of my personal world. Therefore, the personal connection with art must be in all its dimensions so that it is also nourished by the diversity of possibilities offered by this vision that I propose.

How do you feel social media is shaping the way art is created, consumed, and valued today?

For me, social networks have been fundamental for me to be able to give this interview at this moment. Without them, my work would not have had the reach it has today, for which I am grateful. Beyond what I do, which is to spread my work, I don't do anything else. I consider my social networks as work networks, not entertainment networks, although sometimes it amuses me to see people's lives, but it doesn't go beyond that. My work time is very intense, and there are days when I can't see my social networks, which, in a way, is positive. Answering the question, I think art consumption may have increased because of the access to artistic images that we didn't have before. Today, we can visit museums or galleries on other continents from our phones, which is not negative for those who cannot visit them physically. I understand that algorithms limit our virtual experiences to our internet searches and personal profiles, but that doesn't take away from the fact that access to this content is available. Perhaps we should learn more about our visual culture and explore the possibilities it offers.

In an increasingly globalised world, how can artists preserve authenticity and cultural integrity in their work?

All works dialogue with each other, regardless of their origin, and that is why I believe it is almost a duty for artists to travel and get to know as many places and people as possible so that their own art can participate in that dialogue. Intercultural dialogue is undeniable, and art, by its very nature, transits between different times and spaces. I like to think that my works resemble those of other times and places because that is the idea: art is not something unique, unrepeatable or pure; the discussion does not go that way, it makes no sense to talk about the purity of art, even less so in the continent where I live, where cultural mixture is the essence of our present. Cultural integrity lies in understanding the contexts and being part of their changes. Authenticity has to do with the transparency of the discourses, knowing from where one speaks and where one comes from; and one comes from all the references of art, from the daily experiences of the neighbourhood, from friendships, from family, from memory, etc.

What are five steps you’re taking to ensure your continual growth as an artist?

✧ I cannot be satisfied with what I already have; perhaps that is one of the great keys to keep growing: to maintain a constant nonconformity with everything I do. That nonconformity keeps me moving and active.

✧ Neither do I measure the overcoming of the challenges I impose on myself, nor their performance, in economic or instrumental terms. This allows me to have values that are not negotiable with art, such as understanding it as a process and not only as a saleable product. Although I have no problem with selling a work, I do not consider that all art should be created with the sole purpose of being sold.

✧ I am interested in participating in all possible spaces and in bringing artistic dialogue to those spaces. Therefore,

✧ art should be part of all aspects of the human being; perhaps that is a beautiful goal to achieve.

✧ To continue working.

If you could become one of your creations for a day, which would it be and why?

I would like to be The Vibrant Matter of a Pink Moon because I believe that this work has a mysterious power, a palette of colors that I like the most and, above all, because initially it was not going to be like that. It was transformed over time, it changed day by day; it was a long journey to get there. I like the fact that it was like that, without planning, without a previous idea, and its name, clearly, is 50% of the work. It was not easy to find; it was born as things are born, in openness, as a sort of finding, something that is discovered, and that, with a lot of emotion and a little nervous trembling, managed to find its place in the world.

Have you considered teaching your artistic skills to others? What excites or challenges you about that?

I was recently appointed director of the School of Fine Arts in Viña del Mar, where I was a professor for many years in the Sculpture course and will continue to be. I am also a professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Valparaiso. I have been teaching art for 14 years in the region of Valparaíso, Chile. Teaching art has been an important part of my work, training, learning and constant updating in the field of education. I obtained a master's degree in Art Education and I am currently finishing my PhD thesis in Interdisciplinary Studies. Art, for me, is knowledge, exploration and education, among other elements. Therefore, dedication and love for teaching is fundamental.

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For Renato Órdenes San Martín, art is an act of survival, a means of translation, and a bridge between the personal and the universal. Commitment to practice is not measured in commercial success but in the urgency of creation—an insistence on growth, dialogue, and relentless exploration. Whether through an evolving body of work or a role in education, art is positioned not as a static object but as a living, breathing force that weaves through time, community, and the ever-shifting landscape of cultural memory.