January 14, 2022 #ChileDiverse

Pablo Neruda, Isabel Allende and Pedro Pascal are the best-known Chileans in the arts

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10 Chileans make up the list of the most recognized cultural exponents of our country abroad, according to a new study by Imagen de Chile.

As part of the campaign "Chile, Creativity that Inspires the World", which seeks to highlight Chilean creative talent abroad, Imagen de Chile released a study that shows the interest and knowledge that foreigners have for our cultural wealth.

"Part of our role in Imagen de Chile is to measure how the world perceives us in areas such as science, innovation, business and culture. We wanted to know how well known some of our cultural references are abroad, and how associated they are with our country," said the executive director of Imagen de Chile, Constanza Cea.

On this occasion, when dealing with cultural and heritage issues, respondents were asked which national artists they knew, and if they were aware of their Chilean origin. Among the 10 most mentioned, there are figures from different areas: literature, theater, music and architecture. Thus, the top 10 was made up of the following exponents:

  1. Pablo Neruda
  2. Isabel Allende
  3. Pedro Pascal
  4. Daniela Vega
  5. Gabriela Mistral
  6. Victor Jara
  7. Roberto Bolaño
  8. Violeta Parra
  9. Alejandro Aravena
  10. Mon Laferte.

For Imagen de Chile, the results were favorable for national literature, since Pablo Neruda and Isabel Allende escaped in the podium, which was completed by the actor Pedro Pascal. This, after 32% of those interviewed had heard and knew that the Nobel Prize for Literature was Chilean, while 28% said the same about the author of "La Casa De Los Espíritus".

The other artists obtained similar numbers, fluctuating between 15% and 18% of recognition for their nationality, and between 16% and 25% of general recognition, without knowing the country of origin.

The rise of the new artistic generations is surprising, since, for example, Vega and Pascal have stood out in recent years for their appearances in major Netflix or Amazon productions, just as Mon Laferte has done in renowned music festivals.

On the other hand, the names of artists on the same level as Neruda or Allende stand out, such as Violeta Parra, Roberto Bolaño and Víctor Jara. With this, it is evident that their legacy remains intact, since several years have passed since their deaths.

The architectural work of Alejandro Aravena, the only one in his field on the list, is also recognized. It is worth noting that he was the 2016 winner of the Pritzker Prize, the world's leading architecture award.

Therefore, the top 10 best known cultural representatives exposed the wide range of national talent, where there are artists of all generations, as well as disciplines for all tastes. Literature, theater, music and architecture were consolidated as the most celebrated, but this is just a sample of how rich and diverse our culture and national heritage is.

According to the study, its objective is to measure "the perception of the country's image in different areas in 12 cities around the world". The cities that are part of the survey are: Sao Paulo, Toronto, New York, Washington, London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Shanghai, Tokyo, New Delhi and Dubai.

Chile, creativity that inspires the world

The dissemination of this study takes place within the framework of the campaign "Chile, Creativity that Inspires the World", an initiative promoted by Imagen de Chile that seeks to communicate the impact that the cultural heritage of our country has had on the world of culture and the arts at an international level.

"From Chile we are creating the future, and we seek to show how Chilean culture has crossed borders around the world, from the creativity, sensitivity and talent of the people who live in our country," said the executive director of Imagen de Chile, Constanza Cea.

As part of this campaign, different activities have been carried out, from the tattooing of verses by Neruda, Mistral and Nicanor Parra, to the display of these verses on the pennants that the Chilean national team exchanges during the qualifiers for the World Cup in Qatar.

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