La Ruta del Encuentro: Metro Santiago Mural Call

Overview

Metro de Santiago and Corporacion 3xi have launched 'La Ruta del Encuentro,' a national cultural competition to select 21 murals for the 19 stations of Santiago's future Line 7. Of the 21 murals, seven come through this open call. Organizers say anyone can take part regardless of experience, from school groups and art students to established artists. The project aims to turn a daily commute into a cultural experience and become one of the country's largest public-art circuits.

Theme & Curatorial Structure

Proposals are asked to address the idea of 'The Encounter' from a constructive, positive perspective, fitting within one of three concepts: 'Inspirarnos' (Inspiring us), 'Innovarnos' (Innovating us), and 'Incluirnos' (Including us), meant to represent different views of Chile.

Key Dates

• Applications open: July 14, 2026
• Application deadline: September 14, 2026
• Jury evaluation and finalist selection: October 1–10, 2026
• Citizen voting: October 29–November 30, 2026
• Open-call winners announced: December 1, 2026
• Awards ceremony: December 10, 2026
• Mural execution: January 2027–July 2028

What to Submit

Applicants submit a mural sketch, a text explaining the idea, and a presentation video through rutadelencuentro.cl.

Jury

The jury comprises 21 figures from the Chilean art world, including curators, artists, academics, collectors, and thinkers. Named members include visual artist Samy Benmayor, Varinia Brodsky (director of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes), urban communicator Rodrigo Guendelman, and Francisco Undurraga (Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage).

Award

Each of the seven open-call winners receives a recognition of 2,000,000 pesos.

Eligibility

Open to anyone regardless of experience, from school groups and art students to established artists.

Supporters

The initiative is driven by Banca por el Arte, an alliance of Chilean banks including Bci, BICE, BTG Pactual, Banco de Chile, Consorcio, Falabella, Internacional, Itau, Ripley, Santander, and Scotiabank, together with Metro and the Corporacion 3xi.