Carlos Martiel
About:
In February 2014 Carlos Martiel had a solo at Steve Turner Contemporary. The following information went with it.
Vanishing Point, 2013.
Steve Turner Contemporary is pleased to present Plegaria Muda (Silent Prayer), a performance and solo exhibition by Carlos Martiel. The performance will take place in the upstairs gallery on Friday, February 14. Martiel will position himself in the middle of the room where thin strands of nylon will be sewn into his body that will tautly extend to the walls of the gallery where they will be attached. Bells emitting varying sounds will be attached to the nylon. While Martiel will strive to remain motionless, his inevitable involuntary movements will trigger the chimes. When the gallery re-opens on Tuesday, February 18, it will feature a photograph and a two channel video of the performance along with the nylon strands that previously held Martiel in place.
Bloodline, 2012.
According to guest curator Edna Sandoval, in “Plegaria Muda Martiel explores what it is to be human and seeks to know for himself whether he has any life force beyond the borders of his own physical body. This question, one that has been asked since the beginning of mankind, is fundamental to all the world’s religions and it centers on the notion of one having a spirit. In aiming to remain still, Martiel seeks to animate the conflict between that objective and the environment around him so that the bells will represent his spirit.”
Break the Night, 2014.
Carlos Martiel (born 1989, Havana) graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts, Havana (2009) before moving to the United States in 2013. His work has been included in the Havana Biennial (2009); Pontevedra Biennial, Galicia (2010), Liverpool Biennial (2010); and Biennial La Otra, Bogotá (2013). He has also had solo exhibitions at the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana (2012); Nitsch Museum, Naples (2013); Axeneo 7, Montreal (2013) and LUX, Guatemala City, (2013). He won the Arte Laguna Prize, Venice (2013). This is Martiel’s debut project in the United States.
Hijo Prodigo, 2010
Subject, 2012.