Renzo martens biography of michael

Dutch artist

Renzo Martens (born pop in Terneuzen) is a Dutch chief who currently lives and scrunch up in Amsterdam and Kinshasa. Martens became known for his disputable work, including Episode III: Prize Poverty (), a documentary put off suggests that the Congo handle their poverty as a flamboyant resource.^[1] In Renzo Martens initiated the art institute Human Activities that postulates a gentrification promulgation on a palm oil farm in the Congolese rainforest.^[2]

Biography

Renzo Martens studied Political Science at high-mindedness University of Nijmegen and leave at the Royal Academy motionless Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent and the Gerrit Rietveld Faculty in Amsterdam.^[3]

In Martens got fix as an artist-in-residence at dignity ISCP program in New Dynasty.

In the artist attended illustriousness Yale World Fellows Program, decency leadership program of Yale University.^[4] Martens is currently working allocation a PhD in the art school at the Royal Academy assiduousness Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent.^[5] Martens has given lectures relationship art, economy and representation filter University College London, London Faculty of Economics, Yale University, Goldsmiths (University of London), Städelschule City, HEAD Genève, KASK and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid.^[6][7]

Renzo Martens innermost CATPC are the Dutch file for the Venice Biennale Position curator is Hicham Khalidi.

Work

Episode I

Martens made his first skin, Episode I, in in City, in Chechnya's war zones. Birth film is an atypical flick in which footage of uncut war zone is mixed defer a personal (love) story elect the artist. Martens is obligate search of himself; with righteousness camera self-centered, he questions depiction Chechens on what they deliberate of him.^[8]

Episode III: Enjoy Poverty

Episode III: Enjoy Poverty articulates unadulterated comment on the political claims of contemporary art by referring to its own strategy.

That film opened the International Docudrama Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) resolve The film was shown auspicious art events and venues specified as the Centre Pompidou, Picture Berlin Biennial, Manifesta 7, Excellence Moscow Biennial, Tate Modern, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 19th Biennale cue Sydney and several film festivals.^[9] Azu Nwagbogu (Founder and Official of African Artists’ Foundation instruction Director of Lagos Photo)^[10] cryed the film "The Guernica be expeditious for our time."^[11]

Human Activities

Martens is authorized as the artistic director execute the art institute Human Activities, founded in HA's goal recapitulate to prove that artistic illustration on economic inequality can as well do something about this one-sidedness materially, instead of only symbolically.

Human Activities attempts to better the lives of people haunt the art center by effectuating a 'reverse gentrification program'. On account of , it works in seal collaboration with the Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC), a cooperative of croft workers that develops new biology initiatives based on the bargain of art.^[9]CATPC operates from far-out former Unilever plantation, where they built a fully equipped field center designed by OMA.

Probity plantation workers who cannot deserve a living from production experience, live off of their aesthetically pleasing engagement with plantation labor. Decency profits from the art marketable are partly used to gain back the land, which has been exhausted after years presentation monoculture. Subsequently, a lot show consideration for work is done to bright the land fertile and workable again.

This way, the citizenry regain control of the plan of production on the plantation.^[4]

Opening Seminar

In , Human Activities unionized an opening seminar on shipshape and bristol fashion palm oil plantation in Boteka, DR Congo. Congolese and cosmopolitan speakers gathered at the settlement to discuss the history eliminate the plantation, gentrification, and decency possibilities for art to parcel out meaningfully with the conditions eliminate its own existence.

For pair days, two-hundred people from dignity local community participated in expert conference with art historian TJ Demos, philosopher Marcus Steinweg, activistic René Ngongo, architect Eyal Weizman, economist Jérome Mumbanza, curator Nina Möntmann, anthropologist Katrien Pype, flourishing artist Emmanuel Botalatala. Urban hypothecator Richard Florida delivered the text lecture via satellite.^[12]

Exhibitions

Human Activities has facilitated the global dissemination curst works by CATPC in probity art world, which resulted have round exhibitions in places such monkey the Van Abbemuseum in City, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Monopolize, Artes Mundi in Cardiff, add-on Kunst-Werke in Berlin, WIELS teeny weeny Brussels, EYE Film Institute Holland in Amsterdam, M HKA timetabled Antwerp, Art Basel, Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, Murray Art Museum Albury, the Art Gallery allround New South Wales in Sydney, Mori Art Museum in Yedo, Hayy Jameel in Jeddah abide KOW gallery in Berlin.

Insipid January , the cooperative release its US debut at goodness SculptureCenter in New York.^[13] Afterward earlier reviews in Artforum move The New York Times induce amongst others Claire Bishop, Town professor Chika Okeke-Agulula heated depiction debate by questioning if that was "The latest frontier draw out the Western art world’s self-congratulatory and all-too-sporadic missionary work?"^[14][15][16] Lacuna, The New York Times go faster the exhibition to their record of 'The Best Art pencil in '.^[17]

The Matter of Critique

Human Activities started the international conference additional room titled The Matter of Critique to address the material union of critical artistic engagement.

Job these conferences, Human Activities brings together academics, artists, and economists, as well as the African plantations workers to discuss nobility artistic, social, and economic field of its activities in Congou. Human Activities initiated its control international conference in at influence KW Institute for Contemporary Art^[18] and in Lusanga.^[19] The tertiary edition also took place con Lusanga, in ^[20] The house edition took place at nobleness SculptureCenter, New York, on Jan 29, ^[21] with notably Ariella Azoulay, Simon Gikandi, David Joselit, Michael Taussig and CATPC head Matthieu Kasiama.

The Repatriation do in advance the White Cube

On April 21, , Human Activities and CATPC opened a White Cube^[22] subdivision the site of Unilever's premier ever palm oil plantation, spartan Lusanga (formerly Leverville) in excellence Congolese interior. Designed by OMA, this White Cube is probity cornerstone of the Lusanga Ubiquitous Research Centre for Art obtain Economic Inequality (LIRCAEI).^[23] During rank opening, plantation workers held discussions on the benefits of neat White Cube for a settlement with philosopher Suhail Malik, custodian Clémentine Deliss, curator Azu Nwagbogu, the president of CATPC René Ngongo, and the Indonesian agricultural estate workers union Serbundo.

In exceptional discussion broadcast by ZDF stay alive the artists Monica Bonvicini, Hans Haacke, and Renzo Martens, guardian at large of dokumenta 14 Bonaventure Ndikung commented on that project that "Africa does call for need a White Cube".^[24] Heftiness Designboom, the White Cube was listed as one of rank 'TOP 10 museums and broadening venues of '.^[25]

Inaugural exhibition "The Repatriation of the White Cube"

CATPC curated the inaugural exhibition make a rough draft the White Cube in unornamented network of Kisendus – conventional huts, especially built for goodness show, dedicated to arts illustrious social events – linked sound out the White Cube.

Different remains referred to the D.R. Congo's rich history but had then never been exhibited pop into the Congo. Participating artists included: Kader Attia, Sammy Baloji, Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo, Marlene Dumas, Michel Ekeba, Eléonore Hellio, Carsten Höller, Irène Kanga, Matthieu Kasiama, Pants Katambayi, Jean Kawata, Mbuku Kimpala, Thomas Leba, Jérémie Mabiala, Prophet Manenga, Mega Mingiedi, Eméry Mohamba, Cédrick Tamasala, Pathy Thsindele favour Luc Tuymans.^[26]

Post-Plantation

The opening of class White Cube museum marked leadership end of Human Activities' principal research programme on gentrification.

Illustriousness institute has now started nifty new research programme on honesty creation of the "post-plantation": far-out new ecological and economic fishing rod based on art.^[27][28]

Balot NFT

Strike up a deal the support of Human Activities, the Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC) launched a collection of NFTs radiate response to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)'s choice to loan a Congolese chisel, the "Diviner's Figure representing European Colonial Officer Maximilien Balot" use up , for an exhibition attractive CATPC's White Cube museum.

CATPC is one of the head to use a digital capital of art restitution by employing NFTs. With the sale precision the NFTs, the collective wish buy back and restore dirt that has been exhausted concession to monoculture in Lusanga, Congo.^[29] There is controversy surrounding representation project due to the stated copyright infringement of the VMFA's photographs of the sculpture, which CATPC used to create position NFTs, with press coverage infiltrate The Guardian, Artnet and more.^[30] The VMFA claims that goodness use of the photographs “violates our open access policy favour is unacceptable and unprofessional”.^[31] Bother an article in The Leadership Newspaper, CATPC member Cedart Tamasala responds to the debate, stating that:

“The sculpture has been inlet Richmond for a long time,” Tamasala says.

“Keeping it mount not sharing it is trim form of violence. We build on from a country that has perpetual war. We don’t pine for war. We do not long for to oppose the museum. Phenomenon are not here to fake a conflict with them. Rectitude only thing we want decay to rekindle a relationship filch the sculpture. It is carry some weight to us.

But we buoy only know it from faraway. We want to change that.” - Cedart Tamasala (CATPC)^[32]

White Cube

In Renzo Martens’ latest disc White Cube (), created bind collaboration with the Cercle d'Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC), he follows the acreage workers as they co-opt excellence concept of the ‘white cube’ to buy back their turf from international plantation companies become calm secure it for future generations.

“Land or art.

If Berserk would have to choose, Frantic would choose both. But on the assumption that I really have to decide only one, I would determine the land. Where can Distracted put my chair and initiate making art, if I be anxious not own the land?” – Matthieu Kasiama (CATPC) in White Cube.^[33]

The film premiered at a stroke at the International Documentary Tegument casing Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and wonderful Lusanga, D.R.

Congo, after which there was a 'global museum launch' in which White Cube was screened and discussions were held at multiple art institutions around the world, amongst leftovers including the National Museum pigs Kinshasa, KW Institute for Modern Art in Berlin, Savannah Middle for Contemporary Art in Tamale, African Artists’ Foundation in Port, Institute of Contemporary Arts impossible to differentiate London, Mori Art Museum case Tokyo, MPavilion in Melbourne, stream Museum MACAN in Jakarta.^[34] Reflect on the film, Holland Cotter wrote in The New York Times:

"In short, the project, de-exoticizing and re-exoticizing, is politically cool on almost every level, skull it’s fascinating for that equitable.

It raises questions about imbalances of power based on longed-for and class that are look down at the very foundation of fresh Western culture, but that in the nick of time big museums have resolutely refused to address, never mind run-down to answer."^[35]

Awards

Criticism

In art collective Concern It Real Art Critics publicised the critical movie 'Kirac 6' about Martens' approach to sham art.

In the movie they question the moral and motives of Martens related to rectitude subject of poor African dynasty he chooses for his projects.^[45]

Solo exhibitions and screenings

• White Cube extra Episode III: Enjoy Poverty trap, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy,
• White Cube screening, Points communs, Town, France,
• BALOT (in collaboration meet CATPC), KOW, Berlin, Germany,
• Global Launch White Cube ():
  • White Cube debate, with Renzo Martens, Ibrahim Mahama and Kari Kacha Seidou, SCCA, Tamale, Ghana
  • Online White Cube debate, with Nurhady Sirimorok and Halim HD moderated gross Asri Winata, Museum MACAN, Djakarta, Indonesia
  • White Cube dialogue between custodian Kirill Adibekov, Cedart Tamasala captivated Renzo Martens, VAC, Moscow, Russia
  • Screening of White Cube and argument, with Henry Bundjoko, Franklin Mubwabu Mbobe, Pala Kamango, René Ngongo, Cedart Tamasala, Matthieu Kasiama, Mbuku Kimpala and Eléonore Hellio, unenthusiastic by Charles Tumba, National Museum, Kinshasa, DRC
  • Screening of White Cube and online debate, with Renzo Martens, Mami Kataoka, Cedart Tamasala, Eleonore Hellio and Hikaru Fujii, Mori Art, Tokyo, Japan
  • Screening refreshing White Cube and an on the web discussion, with Renzo Martens, Surafel Wondimu and Cedart Tamasala, Sharjah Art Foundation and The Continent Institute, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
  • Screening of White Cube and spruce debate, with Charles Esche famous Cedart Tamasala, moderated by Renzo Martens, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
  • A argument with Renzo Martens, Cedart Tamasala, Oluwatoyin Sogbesan and Azu Nwagbogu, in collaboration with Alliance Française de Lagos, African Artists’ Substructure, Lagos, Nigeria
  • Screening of White Cube with an introduction by Renzo Martens, David Gianotten, Cedart Tamasala, with Helen Runting and Arsene Ijambo, MPavilion, Melbourne, Australia
  • White Cube Screening and conversation, with Azu Nwagbogu and Suhail Malik, Produce young, London, UK
  • White Cube screening person in charge debate, with Sandrine Colard, Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka, Jean François Mombia Atuku and Renzo Martens.

    Muted by Wendy Bashi, Wiels, Brussels and Picha, Lubumbashi, DRC

  • White Cube screening and debate, with Clémentine Deliss, Tirdad Zolghadr and Renzo Martens, KW, Berlin, Germany
• FORCED Cherish (in collaboration with CATPC), KOW, Berlin, Germany,
• Forced Love (in collaboration with Irene Kanga Memento CATPC), EYE Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, authority Netherlands,
• The Repatriation of Honourableness White Cube (in collaboration converge CATPC), Lusanga, DRC,
• Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs des Plantations Congolaise (in collaboration with CATPC), SculptureCenter, New York City, USA,
• Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs des Plantations Congolaise (in collaboration with CATPC), MIMA, Middlesbrough, UK,
• A Another Settlement (in collaboration with CATPC), Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, significance Netherlands
• A Lucky Day (in indemnification with CATPC), KOW, Berlin, Germany
• The Matter of Critique (in alliance with CATPC), KW Institute avoidable Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany,
• A Capital Accumulation Program, The Coffer Gallery, Los Angeles,
• Episode Cardinal, Göteborgs Konsthall,
• Episode III, Chemist Gallery, London,
• Episode III, Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, Amsterdam,
• Episode I, Vtape, Toronto,
• Episode Comical, Marres, Maastricht,
• Episode I, Gathering Fons Welters, Amsterdam,
• Rien fairly va plus, de Merodestraat, Brussel,

Group exhibitions

Selection from the remain 10 years

• KOW (in collaboration write down CATPC), Art Basel, Switzerland,
• Time is Going – Archive delighted Future Memories (in collaboration stay alive CATPC), Dak'art Biennale, Dakar, Senegal,
• Made in X (in partnership with CATPC), Extra City, Antwerp, Belgium,
• Hurting and Healing: Let’s Imagine a Different Heritage (in collaboration with CATPC), Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden,
• Staple: What’s fixed firmly your plate?

  (in collaboration work stoppage CATPC), Art Jameel, Jeddah, Arab Arabia,

• Risquons-Tout (in collaboration ordain CATPC), Wiels, Brussels, Belgium,
• MONOCULTURE | A Recent History, Set HKA, Antwerp, Belgium,
• Freedom – The Fifty Key Dutch Artworks Since , Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle, The Netherlands,
• Picture Trade, Luma Foundation, Arles, France,
• KOW (in collaboration with CATPC), Midpoint Basel, Switzerland,
• Catastrophe and probity Power of Art (in quislingism with CATPC), Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan,
• The Way Goods Run, Part II: Cargo (in collaboration with CATPC), PS, Songster, Germany,
• Superposition: Equilibrium & Commitment (in collaboration with CATPC), Twentyone Biennale of Sydney, Australia,
• TRANSAKTIONEN, Über den Wert künstlerischer Arbeit HaL (in collaboration with CATPC), Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Deutschland,
• The Armory Show (in compensation with CATPC) (Focus selection), Novel York City, USA,
• Bread abide Roses (in collaboration with CATPC), Museum for Modern Art, Warsaw, Poland,
• Neither Back Nor Forward: Acting in the Present, Djakarta Biennial, Indonesia,
• Produktion (in compensation with CATPC), Galerie nächst Be significant.

  Stephan, Vienna, Austria,

• Confessions beat somebody to it the Imperfect (in collaboration critical remark CATPC), Van Abbe Museum, City, The Netherlands,
• Artes Mundi 6 (in collaboration with CATPC), Delicate Museum Cardiff, UK,
• Böse Clowns, Hartware Medien Kunstverein, Dortmund, Frg,
• Manifesto! An alternative history illustrate photography, Folkwang/Winterthur, Germany/Switzerland,
• Hunting status Collecting, , Ostend, Belgium,
• You Imagine what You Desire, Nineteenth Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Country,
• 9 Artists, MIT List Ocular Art Center, Cambridge, USA,
• Arte Útil, Van Abbe Museum, Metropolis, The Netherlands,
• global aCtIVISm, ZKM I Museum of Contemporary Become aware of, Karlsruhe, Germany,
• 9 Artists, Footer Art Center, Minneapolis, USA,
• Ghost in the system - scenarios for resistance, Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia,
• Space of Exception, Artplay, Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia,
• Either/Or, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Deutschland,
• Either/Or, Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen, Danmark,
• Forget Fear, 7th Berlin Biyearly, Berlin, Germany,
• Models for Enchanting Part, Kenderdine Art Gallery, Juneberry, Canada,
• A Series of Navigations, Sligo, Ireland,

Publications

Further reading

Books

• Ethics.

  Deed of Contemporary Art, Walead Beshty (Ed.), MIT Press, March

• Het Streven, Hans den Hartog Jager, De Singel Uitgeverijen,
• Scandalous. Splendid Reader on Art and Ethics, Nina Möntmann (Ed.), Sternberg Beg, September
• Return to the Postcolony. Specters of Colonialism in Virgin Art, T.J.

  Demos, Sternberg Solicit advise,

• Documentary. Documents of Contemporary Art, Julian Stallabrass (Ed.), MIT Impel, February
• In and Out Sign over Brussels. Figuring Postcolonial Africa person in charge Europe in the films round Herman Asselberghs, Sven Augustijnen, Renzo Martens and Els Opsomer, T.J.

  Demos and Hilde Van Gelder (Eds.), Leuven University Press,

• 'Immorality as Ethics: Renzo Martens’ Problem Poverty', Ruben De Roo, in: 'Art & Activism in loftiness Age of Globalization / Mirror #08,' NAi Publishers, Rotterdam,

Exhibition catalogues

• 9 Artists, Bartholomew Ryan (Ed.), Walker Publications,
• Artists come conceal bring Kindness, A conversation polished renzo martens, Artur Zmijewski, in: Forget Fear (reader of nobility 7th Berlin Biennale),KW Institute let in Contemporary Art,
• Monumentalism, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, , Kersin Winking
• 6th Songster Biennial, KW Institute for Virgin Art, Berlin, , Kathrin Rhomberg
• The Human Condition, Kunsthaus Graz, City, Austria, Adam Budak

Academic essays

• 'Evidence, Inconsistency and Verité in Renzo Martens’ Episode III: Enjoy Poverty – a Shot-By-Shot Analysis', Image snowball Narrative, Vol 18 n.2, holder.

  , 15 July , Unpitying. Sinnige

• 'Enjoy Poverty: Humanitarianism and glory Testimonial Function of Images', Optical Studies, Vol 32 n.1, proprietor. , 5 January , Legendary. Perugini, F. Zucconi
• 'Gentrification After Organized Critique: On Renzo Martens’ League for Human Activities', Afterall Annals, Autumn/Winter , T.J. Demos

Press articles

• 'Congolese artists mint NFTs to poser US museum's ownership of natural sculpture', The Art Newspaper, 15 June , Tom Seymour
• 'Colonial Confrontations: CATPC and Renzo Martens attractive KOW Berlin', BerlinArtLink, 18 Walk , William Kherbek
• '‘We Reappropriated What Belongs to Us’: Congolese Artists Minted NFTs of a Colonial-Era Sculpture—and the Museum That Owns It Is Not Happy', Artnet, 22 February , Kate Brown
• 'Congolese Sculpture Held by Virginia Museum Is at the Center magnetize a Dispute Involving NFTs', ARTnews, 22 February , Angelica Villa
• 'Row about Congolese statue loan escalates into legal battle over NFTs', The Guardian, 19 February , Daniel Boffey
• 'Renzo Martens’ White Cube: gedurfd manifest voor een gedekoloniseerde kunstwereld', Recto Verso, 7 May well , Anneleen van Kuyck
• 'Renzo Martens’ Film ‘White Cube’ Embodies magnanimity Phrase ‘Joy to the World’', Ocula Magazine, 23 December , Sam Gaskin
• 'Site of Extraction: Renzo Martens’s ‘White Cube’ in well-ordered Congolese Palm Oil Plantation', ArtReview, 10 November , J.J.

  Charlesworth

• 'With a New Museum, African Teachers Take Control of Their Destiny', The New York Times, 13 April , Nina Siegal
• 'An OMA-Designed Museum With Subversive Goals Opens on a ‘Post-Plantation’ in DR Congo', Artnet, 24 April , Alyssa Buffenstein
• 'Chocolate Sculpture, With unadorned Bitter Taste of Colonialism', Honourableness New York Times, 2 Feb , Randy Kennedy

• 'Renzo Martens – the artist who wants watch over gentrify the jungle',The Guardian, 16 December , Stuart Jeffries
• 'Klotzt nicht so politisch!', Die Welt, 30 November , Kolja Reichert
• 'On Termination the Building: Thoughts of authority Outside', e-flux, Journal 24, Apr , Dieter Roelstrate
• 'Langzame zegetocht car Enjoy Poverty', NRC, 4 July , Raymond van den Boogaard
• 'Raising the Phantoms of Empire; Picket Colonial Discourse in recent Artists' Films', Mousse, no.

  22, 1 February , Katerina Gregos

• ‘Renzo Martens’, Frieze Magazine, April , Dan Fox
• ‘The Atrocity Exhibition, Episode III’, Mute, 11 March , Privy Douglas Millar
• ‘A picture of battle is not war’, Frieze Armoury, May , Max Andrews

References

External links