Christian Zurita, born in Gorbea (Chile) in 1971 Interior of a coffee shop. Oil on canvas Biography 1991 - He began his artistic studies at the Universidad Catolica of Chile. He studied with masters Grazia Barrios and Jose Balmes. 1996 - After graduating in painting with excellent marks, he participated in and won the first prize of the ”V International Art Biennial Santiago-Porto Alegre-Paris” after which he was invited to France to the ”Sorbonne de Paris”. Back in Chile, he alternates his painting activity with university teaching at the art school of the Catholic University of Temuco. During this period he approached the musical and theatrical environment, an experience that will lead him, in 1999, again to Europe, in Italy, following the multimedia show ”Trapananda, la tierra que apareciò inesperadamente” for which he created an extemporaneous series of murals as a set designer. 2001 - He settled permanently in Italy where he began studying set design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, attending the School of scenic realization for melodrama by Enrico Manelli and Marcello Morresi. 2003 - Together with Fabio Gramolazzo, he created the sets for ”La Boheme” by G.Puccini at the Alessandro Bonci Theater in Cesena. 2004 - The interest and love for large-format painting led him to meet the master Rinaldo Rinaldi, with whom, as an assistant, he created a series of large-format scenographic backdrops for Maschner's opera ”Hans heilling”, with scenes by Pierluigi Pizzi for the Teatro Lirico of Cagliari. 2003/2004 - He exhibited his paintings in various contexts including “Arte fiera di Bologna”. During this period he won the ”Senate of the Republic” Award in the ”San Valentino International Art Competition” in Puglia. 2005 /2006 – These are years in which the artist is present in numerous painting competitions, art fairs and scenographic installations, both in Italy and abroad, including: Finalist in Chile of the 2005 International Art Prize ”Valdivia y su rio”, finalist “Arte 2006 Prize” of the Giorgio Mondadori in Milan, present at Arte Fiera in Florence 2006 with the Paolo Nanni Art Gallery of Bologna and Personal Exhibition in the Civic Museum of Split in Croatia in September 2006. 2007 – He participated in several installations and productions for Opera and theater. Won the “Città di Segni International Painting Prize” in Rome. 2008 – In Chile, he created the “Opera para todos” (Opera for all) project with the aim of spreading opera, creating a series of outdoor shows in various cities of the country. 2009 - He worked in several opera productions: Gianni Schicchi by G.Puccini and el Retablo de Maese Pedro by Manuel de Falla, La serva Padrona by Pergolesi, La traviata by Verdi. He opens his personal laboratory for the development of visual arts “Escénica” in Chile, 2009. He exhibits his personal works in Berlin, at the Chilean Embassy in Germany. 2010/13 In Chile, he develops multimedia artistic projects for the theater with Escénica, creating large-scale three-dimensional scenography with his paintings. Currently Cristian Zurita lives and works between France and Santiago de Chile.