- Martin Soto Climent - The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist / 02.20.15 - 04.25.15
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Martin Soto Climent
Born 1977, Mexico City, Mexico
Lives and works in Mexico City, Mexico
Solo Exhibitions
2016
Frenetic Gossamer, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
Museo Pietro Canonica, Rome, Italy
2015
Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City, Mexico
Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City, Mexico
The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist, Clifton Benevento, New York, NY
2014
Luster Butterfly, T293, Rome, IT
All That I Never Was, Michael Benevento, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Mariposas Migratorias (Migratory Butterflies), Clifton Benevento, New York, NY
2012
The Equation of Desire, Kunsthalle Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland
I miss my thread, Karma International, Zurich, Switzerland
The Bright of the Whisper, Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
La Alcoba Doble, T293, Naples and Rome, Italy
2011
Frenetic Gossamer, Michael Benevento, Los Angeles, CA
Puma de Plata, El ECO Museo Experimental, Mexico City, Mexico
2010
Following the Whisper of My Shadow, Clifton Benevento, New York, NY
A Long Chapter One, Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, UK
Frieze, T293, London
2009
El Mago, Martin Van Zomeren, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Laberintome, T293, Naples, Italy
Impulsive Chorus, X Initiative, New York, NY
The Intimate Revolt. Karma International, Zurich, Switzerland
For Your Eyes Only, La Sala, Mexico City, Mexico
Martin Soto Climent, Michael Benevento, Los Angeles, CA
2008
Art Positions, Art Basel Miami, Miami (with Broadway 1602, New York)
Hidden Symmetries, Broadway 1602, New York, NY
01.18.08, T293, Naples, Italy
2007
Vacio Contenido, Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City, Mexico
2006
Checkmate, Broadway 1602, New York, NY
Study Objects, Nina Menocal Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico
2005
Other Objects, The Other Gallery, The Banff Center, Alberta, Canada
Biotic Project, Subway Station Tacuba, Mexico City, Mexico
2004
Cotton Candy Doves, MUCA, Mexico City, Mexico
Throw Balls, UNAM- The University Cultural Building, Mexico City, Mexico
2003
Curious objects vol.1, The space, Mexico City, Mexico
Curious objects vol.2, The space, Mexico City, Mexico
03-03-03, Jardín Hidalgo, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
2002
It was green, Museo Desierto de los Leones, Mexico City, Mexico
2001
Empty Spaces (Journey Sensations), Casa de la Cultura Malinalxochitl, Malinalco, Mexico
One of so Many, Young Artist Collective, Sebastián Foundation, Mexico City, Mexico
Group Exhibitions
2016
One, No One and One Hundred Thousand, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria
2015
Road to Ruin, Cooper Cole, Toronto, NY
U:L:O Part I, Interstate Projects, Brooklyn, NY
Hong Kongese, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK
2014
Slippery, Martos Gallery, New York, NY
Unbound: Contemporary Art After Frida Kahlo, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
CCA Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA
Unsparing Quality, Diane Rosenstein Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
2013
The Unicorn, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
To Pack and Wear, Kate Werble, New York, NY
Black Moon, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
they might well have been remnants of the boat, Calder Foundation, New York, NY
The First and the Last Folding, Swiss Church, London, UK
Notes on Neo-Camp, Office Baroque, Antwerpen, Belgium
Opinione Latina, Francesca Minini, Milan, Italy
2012
A Disagreeable Object, Sculpture Center, New York, NY
Erogenous Zones, Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco, CA
A Stepping Stone, Autocenter in Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Death Can Dance, Townhouse, Zurich, Switzerland
economy of means: towards humility in contemporary sculpture, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ
2011
Emerge Selections, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
The Moment Pleasantly Frightful, curated by Chris Sharp, Laura Bartlett Gallery, London, UK
Ricing, Agovino collection, Napoli, Italy
There are two sides to every coin and two sides to your face. Xippas Gallery, Paris, France
Energies, unplugged and reloaded, Häusler Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials…, Johann Köning, Berlin, Germany
Neue Welt, view over Autocenter, SALTS, Basel, Switzerland
The Idea of the Thing that It Isn’t, Halsey McKay Gallery, Hamptons, NY
Living Live, The Center, New York, NY
2010
Its All American, New Jersey Museum of Contemporary Art, Asbury Park, NJ
Mascarade, Chambers à part IV, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, France
Une Idée, une Forme, un Être – Poésie/Politique du corporel, Migros Museum,Zürich, Switzerland
Digging in a Sandbox, Max Hans Daniel, Berlin, Germany
Between Spaces, PS1 Long Island City, New York, NY
Swagger, Drag, Fit Together, Wallspace,New York, NY
While Bodies Get Mirrored, Migros Museum, Zürich, Switzerland
Tu: Adventure in Space, Willa Lentza, Szczecin, Poland
Anonymous Materials, Stiftung Binz 39, Zürich, Switzerland
Not Extractions, but Abstractions (Part 2), Clifton Benevento, New York, NY
Still Vast Reserves, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, FitzroyVictoria
Latitude Contemporary Art Exhibition (LCA), Henham Park, Suffolk, U.K.
2009
‘Summerbreak’, Hotel, London, UK
The Reach of Realism, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
Melodies & Rocks/ Copyright, Karma International, Zurich, Switzerland
Between Spaces, MoMA PS 1, Long Island City, New York, NY
(re)Visions: (di)Visions, The Foster Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, WI
Ordinary Revolutions, Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany
Zero Budget Biennal. Various locations, Paris, France
Not Soul for Sale, X initiative, New York, NY
Collection of…, White Columns, New York, NY
Between the Cup and Lip, V&A, New York, NY
Nudes, Galeria Fortes Vilaça, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Max Hans Daniel present, Autocenter, Berlin, Germany
2008
Light, Nina Menocal Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico
Friends and Family, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY
As Queer as a Clockwork Orange, La Sala, Mexico City, Mexico
2007
Re-Make / Re-Model, Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow The Kitchen Benefit Art Auction, New York, NY
Pase de Abordar: Artistas viajeros Contemporáneos. Universidad Iberoamericana, México City, Mexico
The Office, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, NY
Drawing outside the lines: Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Phoenix, AZ
OBJECTS, Karma International Art Space, Zurich, Switzerland
In Apertura, Vilma Gold, London, UK
Walk Real Slow, Ana Helwig, Los Angeles, CA
2006
Solidarity Solitude, Broadway 1602, New York, NY
Keep passing the open windows or Happiness, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne, Germany
Distor, Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City, Mexico
2005
Begin, Began, Begun, Other Gallery, The Banff Center, Alberta, Canada
Alegria, El mono de la Tinta, Madrid, Spain
2002
Urban Tianguis, Franz Meyer Museum, Mexico City, Mexico
Colección Monocroma, Centro Convenciones Hipódromo de las Américas, Mexico City, Mexico
2001
One of so Many, Young Artist Collective, Fundacion Sebastían, Mexico City, Mexico
Grants and Awards
2005
FONCA Grant for an International Artist Residency at the Banff Art Center, Alberta, Canada
Art Everywhere Grant, State Department of Cultural Projects in Mexico City, Mexico
Residency at the Banff Art Center, Alberta, Canada
2002
Selected to participate at the Bienale Internationale Desing Saint-Étinne, Saint-Étienne, France
2000
FONCA Scholarship for Artistic production, The tunnel of the millennium, Mexico Discipline, Installation,and Alternative Fashion, Mexico
1996
Member of the team accredited with the first place of the First Meeting of Arcitecture Students, ITESMcampus Queretaro., Queretaro, Mexico
Bibliography
2015
Brian Boucher, “Martin Soto Climent on Donald Trump,” Artnet News. September 17, 2015.
Brienne Walsh, “Martin Soto Climent, The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist,” ArtReview, Vol 67, no 4, p158
Martha Schwendender, “10 Galleries to Visit in SoHo and TriBeCa,” The New York Times, April 16, pC32
“The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist. Martin Soto Climent,” Cura Magazine, March 31
“Martin Soto Climent, The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist,” TimeOut New York Critics’ Pick, March 17,
Paige Silbveria, “An Interview with Mexican Artist Martin Soto Climent At His Show ‘The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist’ at Clifton Benevento, New York,” Purple Diary, March 13
2014
Laura McLean-Ferris, “Martin Soto Climent. How small gestures can articulate bigger questions of sexuality and desire,” ArtReview, January & February, p100-105
2013
Steven Litt, “Saturday’s opening for ‘The Unicorn’ exhibition at the Transformer Station promises to be a surreal happening, like the show itself,” The Plain Dealer, September 3
Laura McLean-Ferris, “Notes on Neo-Camp, Office Baroque Gallery, Antwerp,” Frieze, Issue 155, May, p227
Brienne Walsh, “Martin Soto Climent at Clifton Benevento,” ArtReview, April p.140-141
“Martin Soto Climent’s ‘Mariposas Migratorias (Migratory Butterflies)’ at Clifton Benevento, New York,” Moussemagazine.it, March 7
“The Lookout: A Weekly Guide to Shows You Won’t Want to Miss,” Art in America online, February 7
Karen Rosenberg, “Martin Soto Climent: ‘Mariposas Migratorias (Migratory Butterflies),’” The New York Times online, January 31
Clara Halpern, “A Disagreeable Object,” Modern Painters, January, p68
“Martin Soto Climent, Clifton Benevento,” The New Yorker, January 18
Olivier Kielmayer, “Interview with Martin Soto Climent,” ARTPULSE.com, January 15
“Mariposas Migratorias. Martin Soto Climent,” Curamagazine. com, January 11
2012
Rapahel Gygax, “Martin Soto Climent, Karma International,” Frieze, November/December, Issue 155, p154
Colby Chamberlain, “A Disagreeable Object,” Artforum, December, p278
Karen Rosenberg, “‘A Disagreeable Object’ at the Sculpture Center,” The New York Times, October 4
Brain Boucher, “NADA Miami Beach: A Top Ten,” Art in America online, December 7
Chris Sharp, “Camp + Dandyism,” Kaleidoscope, Spring 2012, Issue 14, p. 44- 57
Julia Friedman, “economy of means: toward humility in contemporary sculpture,” Artforum.com, March 14
Will Brand, “The Glowing Ass Forest and Other Highlights from the Dependent Fair,” Art Fag City, March 14
Kevin McGarry, “Out There, Fair Games,” New York Times Magazine online, March 13
Andrew Russeth, “At Cleopatra’s, Seven Bottles of Wine for Martin Soto Climent,” Observer.com, March 9
Chris Sharp, “A Project By Martin Soto Climent,” Cura Magazine, No. 10, Winter Issue
2011
Erika P. Bucio, “Diseña Soto Premio Puma,” Reforma, Feb 16, p. 21
Ara H. Merjian, “Martin Soto Climent at Clifton Benevento,” Artforum, January p. 221-223
2010
Lori Cole, ‘Martin Soto Climent: Clifton Benevento’, Artforum.com November 2010
Quinn Latimer., “While Bodies Get Mirrored: An Exhibition About Movement, Formalism and Space”, Artforum.com, April 2010
James Clegg, “Martin Soto Climent: A Long Chapter One”, ArtReview, May, p. 119
Dominic Paterson, “Martin Soto Climent: Chapter One’, MAP magazine, Issue 22 – Summer, p. 44-49. (Cover)
Claire Barliant, ‘Not Extractions, but Abstractions’, Time Out New York, July 22-28. p. 40
Raphael Gygax, “Melodies & Rock / Copyright,” Flash Art, Jan-Feb
2009
‘Top 100 emerging artists’, Flash Art 268, October 2009
Valerie Knoll, “Martin Soto Climent: Karma International”, Artforum, issue Sept 09, p. 308
Gioni Massimiliano; Laura Hoptman; Lauren Cornell,“Younger than Jesus: The Artist Directory”, Phaidon Press, May 2009
Ruba Katrib, “The Reach of Realism, North Miami MOCA, December 2000
Stefanie Kreuzer, “Ordinary Revolutions”, Museum Morsbroich, August 2009
2008
F. Boenzi, “Martin Soto Climent”, Flash Art, Milan, issue 269, April – May
R. Caragliano, “L’economia del riciclo diventa un’opera d’arte”, La Repubblica, Napoli, 16 January
Jack Mottram, ”Performance’ that is anything but pants’, The Herald, 11th January
A. Vargas, ‘Pisaje suspendido: Bitacora de una mirada’, Laberinto
2007
Sue Wilson, ‘Re-Make/Re-Model’, The Metro, 19th December
Quinn Latimer, “Martin Soto Climent”, Modern Painters, New York, April
2006
J. Guarque, “Un Rato De Existencia”, Schock, December
2001
“Martin Soto Climent”, Babilonia Aula de Cultura, Apuntes Papeles par Mirar Collection, Valencia, October
Featuring works by João Carvalho, Felix Manz, Iris Shady, Tashiro Tsuramoto, Lola Lago, John Brown, and Martín Soto.
Clifton Benevento is pleased to present the solo exhibition The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist by Mexican artist Martín Soto Climent.
Inspired by an ancient text by anarchist Bao Jingyan (c. 300 AD, unknown), which illustrates the existential journey of a warrior facing death, Martín Soto Climent likewise presents the death of his artistic persona. Contradicting all normative protocol for his third show at the gallery, Soto Climent presents his new body of work in the form of eight participating artists in a group exhibition, as a part of his major project The Contemporary Comedy.
Emerging from a selection process––throughout which the artist functions dynamically as curator, producer, and critic––the works in the exhibition resonate with Soto Climent’s candid fascination with death, both physically and metaphorically speaking. Embedded with symbolic visual cues throughout, Glossy Mist plays with notions of identity, time, space, and the assumed trajectory of an artistic career within a normative capitalist socioeconomic system.
The 91 year-old calligraphy master, Tashiro Tsuramoto (b. 1923, Kawachi, Japan) debuts his lifelong work Hagakure, drawn largely upon his transformative experiences in a concentration camp in Mexico during WWII, through his present day dedication to Bushido meditation in Santo Domingo Ocotitlan, Mexico. Iris Shady (b. 1986, Greymouth, New Zealand) unveils a new sculptural practice that unearths archeological discoveries of the future. Seemingly unsynchronized with contemporary time or space, the artist suspends logic in order to facilitate a practice that relies on the presumed extinction of our own race, and the fossilized remains we leave behind. The work of Swiss-born Felix Manz (b. 1985, Zurich) evidences the artist’s own survival through minute modifications of newspaper photographs he renders with just an eraser and a black pencil. Legendary conceptual artist João Carvalho (1945-1982, São Paulo, Brazil) is included in the show, constituting the first exhibition of his work since his tragic and mysterious death during the height of the military dictatorship in Brazil. A series of portraits are included in the exhibition by dancer and choreographer Lola Lago (b. 1944 Tierra del Fuego, Argentina; d. 1977, Antigua, Guatemala as Lola Nicte Ha). The black-and-white photographs are configured in a way that suggests a certain time-based choreography, though her work has been said to elude all representation and corporeal possibility. American artist John Brown (1989, New York) makes his second appearance in this project, with plasticine sculptures that mold themselves to crumpled beer cans, a material found throughout Soto Climent’s early works. Lastly, Mexican painter Martín Soto (b. 1952, Mexico City) has engaged in an collaborative project with Martín Soto Climent that functions as a self-reflexive undertaking to negotiate their respective identities as artists functioning under closely the same name in Mexico City.
Individually, each artist functions to reveal an element of Martín Soto Climent’s introspective odyssey. Together, they begin to encapsulate the ethos of a far larger project the artist is embarking upon, using larger concepts as material for manipulation rather than his archetypal use of vernacular objects. Questionably real artists, or constructions of a calculated proposal, Martín Soto Climent creates deeply nuanced personas that unarguably disrupt the expectations of his work as we thought we knew it.
Martin Soto Climent was born in Mexico City in 1977. Recent solo shows include The Equation of Desire, (Kunsthalle Winterthur, Switzerland), Luster Butterfly, (T293 Rome, IT), The Bright of the Whisper, (Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria), and All That I Never Was, (Michael Benevento, Los Angeles). Recent group exhibitions include CCA Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Palais de Tokyo and MCA Chicago. He lives and works in Mexico City where he co-founded the project space Lulu with independent curator Chris Sharp in 2013.
The exhibition will run from February 20 to April 25, 2015; opening reception is Friday, February 20 from 5-7pm. The gallery is located at 515 Broadway between Broome and Spring streets, New York; opening hours are 11am-6pm Tuesday though Saturday. For further details, please contact Michael at mc@cliftonbenevento.com or via phone at 212.431.6325.
Brienne Walsh, “Martin Soto Climent, The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist.” ArtReview. Vol 67, no 4, p158.
PDF OF REVIEW
Martha Schwendender, “10 Galleries to Visit in SoHo and TriBeCa.” The New York Times. April 16, pC32, 2015.
PDF OF REVIEW
“The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist. Martin Soto Climent.” Cura online. March 31, 2015.
PDF OF REVIEW
“Martin Soto Climent, The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist.” TimeOut New York Critics’ Pick. March 17, 2015.
PDF OF REVIEW
Paige Silbveria, “An Interview with Mexican Artist Martin Soto Climent At His Show ‘The Contemporary Comedy: Glossy Mist’ at Clifton Benevento, New York.” Purple Diary. March 13, 2015.
PDF OF REVIEW