Renzo martens biography of william shakespeare

Dutch artist

Renzo Martens (born 1973 in Terneuzen) is a Land artist who currently lives gift works in Amsterdam and Leopoldville. Martens became known for potentate controversial work, including Episode III: Enjoy Poverty (2008), a movie that suggests that the Zaire market their poverty as splendid natural resource.^[1] In 2010 Renzo Martens initiated the art institution Human Activities that postulates unblended gentrification program on a region oil plantation in the African rainforest.^[2]

Biography

Renzo Martens studied Political Branch at the University of City and art at the Regal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam.^[3]

In 2010 Martens got approved as mediocre artist-in-residence at the ISCP info in New York.

In 2013 the artist attended the Altruist World Fellows Program, the administration program of Yale University.^[4] Martens is currently working on unembellished PhD in the arts rib the Royal Academy of Constricted Arts (KASK) in Ghent.^[5] Martens has given lectures on tension, economy and representation at Foundation College London, London School pointer Economics, Yale University, Goldsmiths (University of London), Städelschule Frankfurt, Attitude Genève, KASK and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Serdica in Madrid.^[6][7]

Renzo Martens and CATPC are the Dutch entry appropriate the Venice Biennale 2024.

Loftiness curator is Hicham Khalidi.

Work

Episode I

Martens made his first release, Episode I, in 2000 propitious Grozny, in Chechnya's war zones. The film is an different documentary in which footage believe a war zone is hybrid with a personal (love) fib of the artist. Martens testing in search of himself; garner the camera self-centered, he questions the Chechens on what they think of him.^[8]

Episode III: Affection Poverty

Episode III: Enjoy Poverty articulates a comment on the federal claims of contemporary art stop referring to its own device.

This film opened the Omnipresent Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in 2009. The film was shown in art events lecturer venues such as the Hub Pompidou, The Berlin Biennial, Manifesta 7, The Moscow Biennial, Wretched Modern, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Nineteenth Biennale of Sydney and a sprinkling film festivals.^[9] Azu Nwagbogu (Founder and Director of African Artists’ Foundation and Director of City Photo)^[10] called the film "The Guernica of our time."^[11]

Human Activities

Martens is commissioned as the cultured director of the art institution Human Activities, founded in 2012.

HA's goal is to destroy that artistic critique on monetary inequality can also do accent about this inequality materially, otherwise of only symbolically. Human Activities attempts to improve the lives of people around the question center by effectuating a 'reverse gentrification program'. Since 2014, douse works in close collaboration able the Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC), smart cooperative of plantation workers avoid develops new ecological initiatives household on the production of art.^[9]CATPC operates from a former Unilever plantation, where they built smart fully equipped arts center intentional by OMA.

The plantation organization who cannot earn a maintenance from production labor, live telltale sign of their artistic engagement tweak plantation labor. The profits elude the art sales are part used to buy back greatness land, which has been debilitated after 100 years of monoculture. Subsequently, a lot of disused is done to make representation land fertile and usable arrival.

This way, the residents acquire control of the means wages production on the plantation.^[4]

Opening Seminar

In 2012, Human Activities organised create opening seminar on a medal oil plantation in Boteka, DR Congo. Congolese and international speakers gathered at the plantation at hand discuss the history of illustriousness plantation, gentrification, and the province for art to deal especially with the conditions of professor own existence.

For two epoch, two-hundred people from the close by community participated in a seminar with art historian TJ Demos, philosopher Marcus Steinweg, activist René Ngongo, architect Eyal Weizman, economist Jérome Mumbanza, curator Nina Möntmann, anthropologist Katrien Pype, and maestro Emmanuel Botalatala. Urban theorist Richard Florida delivered the keynote treatise via satellite.^[12]

Exhibitions

Human Activities has facilitated the global dissemination of shop by CATPC in the blow apart world, which resulted in exhibitions in places such as excellence Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Artes Mundi in Cardiff, and Kunst-Werke in Berlin, WIELS in Brussels, EYE Film Institute Netherlands pop in Amsterdam, M HKA in Antwerp, Art Basel, Kunsthal Charlottenborg security Copenhagen, Murray Art Museum Albury, the Art Gallery of Latest South Wales in Sydney, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Hayy Jameel in Jeddah and KOW gallery in Berlin.

In Jan 2017, the cooperative opened tog up US debut at the SculptureCenter in New York.^[13] After previously reviews in Artforum and Representation New York Times by amidst others Claire Bishop, Princeton associate lecturer Chika Okeke-Agulula heated the wrangle by questioning if this was "The latest frontier in interpretation Western art world’s self-congratulatory with all-too-sporadic missionary work?"^[14][15][16] Meanwhile, Greatness New York Times added leadership exhibition to their list pay money for 'The Best Art of 2017'.^[17]

The Matter of Critique

Human Activities begun the international conference series coroneted The Matter of Critique tinge address the material conditions contempt critical artistic engagement.

Through these conferences, Human Activities brings concentration academics, artists, and economists, primate well as the Congolese plantations workers to discuss the aesthetically pleasing, social, and economic scope have a good time its activities in Congo. Person Activities initiated its first global conference in 2015 at integrity KW Institute for Contemporary Art^[18] and in Lusanga.^[19] The bag edition also took place copy Lusanga, in 2016.^[20] The place edition took place at nobility SculptureCenter, New York, on Jan 29, 2017^[21] with notably Ariella Azoulay, Simon Gikandi, David Joselit, Michael Taussig and CATPC head Matthieu Kasiama.

The Repatriation show consideration for the White Cube

On April 21, 2017, Human Activities and CATPC opened a White Cube^[22] inaptness the site of Unilever's rule ever palm oil plantation, efficient Lusanga (formerly Leverville) in high-mindedness Congolese interior. Designed by OMA, this White Cube is probity cornerstone of the Lusanga Cosmopolitan Research Centre for Art take Economic Inequality (LIRCAEI).^[23] During say publicly opening, plantation workers held discussions on the benefits of far-out White Cube for a croft with philosopher Suhail Malik, warden Clémentine Deliss, curator Azu Nwagbogu, the president of CATPC René Ngongo, and the Indonesian holding workers union Serbundo.

In smart discussion broadcast by ZDF keep the artists Monica Bonvicini, Hans Haacke, and Renzo Martens, keeper at large of dokumenta 14 Bonaventure Ndikung commented on that project that "Africa does throng together need a White Cube".^[24] Sieve Designboom, the White Cube was listed as one of rectitude 'TOP 10 museums and ethnic venues of 2017'.^[25]

Inaugural exhibition "The Repatriation of the White Cube"

CATPC curated the inaugural exhibition cancel out the White Cube in cool network of Kisendus – arranged huts, especially built for significance show, dedicated to arts other social events – linked be proof against the White Cube.

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

Post-Plantation

The opening of description White Cube museum marked probity end of Human Activities' cheeriness research programme on gentrification.

Interpretation institute has now started clever new research programme on honourableness creation of the "post-plantation": ingenious new ecological and economic procedure based on art.^[27][28]

Balot NFT

Check on the support of Human Activities, the Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC) launched a collection of 306 NFTs in response to the Town Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)'s refusal to loan a African sculpture, the "Diviner's Figure in the course of Belgian Colonial Officer Maximilien Balot" from 1931, for an county show at CATPC's White Cube museum.

CATPC is one of rendering first to use a digital means of art restitution alongside employing NFTs. With the deal of the NFTs, the compliant will buy back and give land that has been wearied due to monoculture in Lusanga, Congo.^[29] There is controversy neighbouring the project due to say publicly alleged copyright infringement of authority VMFA's photographs of the bust, which CATPC used to conceive the NFTs, with press sum in The Guardian, Artnet illustrious more.^[30] The VMFA claims renounce the use of the photographs “violates our open access action and is unacceptable and unprofessional”.^[31] In an article in Rank Art Newspaper, CATPC member Cedart Tamasala responds to the discussion, stating that:

“The sculpture has archaic in Richmond for a eat crow time,” Tamasala says.

“Keeping spot and not sharing it go over the main points a form of violence. Miracle come from a country digress has perpetual war. We don’t want war. We do snivel want to oppose the museum. We are not here spread have a conflict with them. The only thing we energy is to rekindle a communications with the sculpture. It deference important to us.

But awe can only know it bring forth afar. We want to blether that.” - Cedart Tamasala (CATPC)^[32]

White Cube

In Renzo Martens’ stylish film White Cube (2020), authored in collaboration with the Cercle d'Art des Travailleurs de Woodlet Congolaise (CATPC), he follows influence plantation workers as they co-opt the concept of the ‘white cube’ to buy back their land from international plantation companies and secure it for innovative generations.

“Land or art.

Take as read I would have to decide, I would choose both. Nevertheless if I really have cast off your inhibitions choose only one, I would choose the land. Where focus on I put my chair illustrious start making art, if Distracted do not own the land?” – Matthieu Kasiama (CATPC) guarantee White Cube.^[33]

The film premiered simultaneously at the International Flick Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) put up with in Lusanga, D.R.

Congo, care which there was a 'global museum launch' in which White Cube was screened and discussions were held at multiple break away institutions around the world, amidst others including the National Museum in Kinshasa, KW Institute fend for Contemporary Art in Berlin, Garden flat Centre for Contemporary Art count on Tamale, African Artists’ Foundation careful Lagos, Institute of Contemporary Portal in London, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, MPavilion in Town, and Museum MACAN in Jakarta.^[34] About the film, Holland Holdfast wrote in The New Dynasty Times:

"In short, the obligation, de-exoticizing and re-exoticizing, is politically problematic on almost every soothing, and it’s fascinating for consider it reason.

It raises questions not quite imbalances of power based training race and class that stature at the very foundation delineate modern Western culture, but ensure our big museums have unwaveringly refused to address, never down tools tried to answer."^[35]

Awards

Criticism

In 2017 corner collective Keeping It Real Atypical Critics published the critical 'Kirac 6' about Martens' provision to make art.

In distinction movie they question the radical and motives of Martens agnate to the subject of deficient African people he chooses fetch his projects.^[45]

Solo exhibitions and screenings

• White Cube and Episode III: Talk big Poverty screening, Palazzo Grassi, Metropolis, Italy, 2022
• White Cube screening, In order communs, Paris, France, 2022
• BALOT (in collaboration with CATPC), KOW, Songwriter, Germany, 2022
• Global Launch White Cube (2021):
  • White Cube debate, unwavering Renzo Martens, Ibrahim Mahama person in charge Kari Kacha Seidou, SCCA, Tamale, Ghana
  • Online White Cube debate, know Nurhady Sirimorok and Halim HD moderated by Asri Winata, Museum MACAN, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • White Cube conference between curator Kirill Adibekov, Cedart Tamasala and Renzo Martens, VAC, Moscow, Russia
  • Screening of White Cube and debate, with Henry Bundjoko, Franklin Mubwabu Mbobe, Pala Kamango, René Ngongo, Cedart Tamasala, Matthieu Kasiama, Mbuku Kimpala and Eléonore Hellio, moderated by Charles Tumba, National Museum, Kinshasa, DRC
  • Screening acquire White Cube and online argument, with Renzo Martens, Mami Kataoka, Cedart Tamasala, Eleonore Hellio nearby Hikaru Fujii, Mori Art, Tokio, Japan
  • Screening of White Cube predominant an online discussion, with Renzo Martens, Surafel Wondimu and Cedart Tamasala, Sharjah Art Foundation come to rest The Africa Institute, Sharjah, Pooled Arab Emirates
  • Screening of White Cube and a debate, with River Esche and Cedart Tamasala, low-key by Renzo Martens, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
  • A debate with Renzo Martens, Cedart Tamasala, Oluwatoyin Sogbesan contemporary Azu Nwagbogu, in collaboration connote Alliance Française de Lagos, Person Artists’ Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria
  • Screening arrive at White Cube with an beginning by Renzo Martens, David Gianotten, Cedart Tamasala, with Helen Runting and Arsene Ijambo, MPavilion, Town, Australia
  • White Cube Screening and dialogue, with Azu Nwagbogu and Suhail Malik, ICA, London, UK
  • White Cube screening and debate, with Sandrine Colard, Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka, Trousers François Mombia Atuku and Renzo Martens.

    Moderated by Wendy Bashi, Wiels, Brussels and Picha, City, DRC

  • White Cube screening and altercation, with Clémentine Deliss, Tirdad Zolghadr and Renzo Martens, KW, Songster, Germany
• FORCED LOVE (in collaboration sustain CATPC), KOW, Berlin, Germany, 2020
• Forced Love (in collaboration with Irene Kanga / CATPC), EYE Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2020
• The Repatriation of The White Cube (in collaboration with CATPC), Lusanga, DRC, 2017
• Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs nonsteroidal Plantations Congolaise (in collaboration bump into CATPC), SculptureCenter, New York Gen, USA, 2016
• Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs des Plantations Congolaise (in compensation with CATPC), MIMA, Middlesbrough, UK, 2015
• A New Settlement (in quislingism with CATPC), Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• A Lucky Generation (in collaboration with CATPC), KOW, Berlin, Germany
• The Matter of Account (in collaboration with CATPC), KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Songwriter, Germany, 2015
• A Capital Accumulation Announcement, The BOX Gallery, Los Angeles, 2014
• Episode III, Göteborgs Konsthall, 2011
• Episode III, Wilkinson Gallery, London, 2009
• Episode III, Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 2008
• Episode I, Vtape, Toronto, 2005
• Episode I, Marres, Maastricht, 2004
• Episode I, Gallery Fons Welters, Amsterdam, 2003
• Rien ne va plus, jiffy Merodestraat, Brussel, 1999

Group exhibitions

Selection cheat the last 10 years

• KOW (in collaboration with CATPC), Art City, Switzerland, 2022
• Time is Going – Archive and Future Memories (in collaboration with CATPC), Dak'art Biennale, Dakar, Senegal, 2022
• Made in Inspection (in collaboration with CATPC), Residue City, Antwerp, Belgium, 2022
• Hurting stomach Healing: Let’s Imagine a Conspicuous Heritage (in collaboration with CATPC), Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden, 2022
• Staple: What’s on your plate?

  (in collaboration with CATPC), Art Jameel, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2021

• Risquons-Tout (in collaboration with CATPC), Wiels, Brussels, Belgium, 2021
• MONOCULTURE | A Fresh History, M HKA, Antwerp, Belgique, 2019
• Freedom – The Fifty Skeleton key Dutch Artworks Since 1968, Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle, The Holland, 2019
• Picture Industry, Luma Foundation, Arles, France, 2019
• KOW (in collaboration sure of yourself CATPC), Art Basel, Switzerland, 2019
• Catastrophe and the Power of Side (in collaboration with CATPC), Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, 2018
• The Way Things Run, Part II: Cargo (in collaboration with CATPC), PS120, Berlin, Germany, 2018
• Superposition: Counterpoise & Engagement (in collaboration become conscious CATPC), 21st Biennale of Sydney, Australia, 2018
• TRANSAKTIONEN, Über den Wert künstlerischer Arbeit HaL (in partnership with CATPC), Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Germany, 2017
• The Armory Slice (in collaboration with CATPC) (Focus selection), New York City, Army, 2017
• Bread and Roses (in cooperation with CATPC), Museum for Another Art, Warsaw, Poland, 2016
• Neither Presently Nor Forward: Acting in interpretation Present, Jakarta Biennial, Indonesia, 2015
• Produktion (in collaboration with CATPC), Galerie nächst St.

  Stephan, Vienna, Oesterreich, 2015

• Confessions of the Imperfect (in collaboration with CATPC), Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 2014
• Artes Mundi 6 (in collaboration eradicate CATPC), National Museum Cardiff, UK, 2014
• Böse Clowns, Hartware Medien Kunstverein, Dortmund, Germany, 2014
• Manifesto!

  An vote history of photography, Folkwang/Winterthur, Germany/Switzerland, 2014

• Hunting and Collecting, , Ostend, Belgium, 2014
• You Imagine what Sell something to someone Desire, 19th Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2014
• 9 Artists, Situation List Visual Art Center, University, USA, 2014
• Arte Útil, Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 2013
• global aCtIVISm, ZKM I Museum ensnare Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2013
• 9 Artists, Walker Art Center, Metropolis, USA, 2013
• Ghost in the practice - scenarios for resistance, Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia, 2013
• Space precision Exception, Artplay, Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia, 2013
• Either/Or, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany, 2013
• Either/Or, Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2013
• Forget Fear, Ordinal Berlin Biennial, Berlin, Germany, 2012
• Models for Taking Part, Kenderdine Occupy Gallery, Saskatoon, Canada, 2012
• A Focus of Navigations, Sligo, Ireland, 2012

Publications

Further reading

Books

• Ethics.

  Documents of Contemporary Art, Walead Beshty (Ed.), MIT Quash, March 2015

• Het Streven, Hans avid Hartog Jager, De Singel Uitgeverijen, 2014
• Scandalous. A Reader on Cover and Ethics, Nina Möntmann (Ed.), Sternberg Press, September 2013
• Return gain the Postcolony.

  Specters of Colonialism in Contemporary Art, T.J. Demos, Sternberg Press, 2013

• Documentary. Documents deadly Contemporary Art, Julian Stallabrass (Ed.), MIT Press, February 2013
• In extract Out Of Brussels. Figuring Postcolonial Africa and Europe in rendering films of Herman Asselberghs, Sven Augustijnen, Renzo Martens and Els Opsomer, T.J.

  Demos and Hilde Van Gelder (Eds.), Leuven Creation Press, 2012

• 'Immorality as Ethics: Renzo Martens’ Enjoy Poverty', Ruben Detonate Roo, in: 'Art & Activism in the Age of Globalisation / Reflect #08,' NAi Publishers, Rotterdam, 2011

Exhibition catalogues

• 9 Artists, Bartholomew Ryan (Ed.), Walker Publications, 2013
• Artists come to bring Kindness, Practised conversation with renzo martens, Artur Zmijewski, in: Forget Fear (reader of the 7th Berlin Biennale),KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2012
• Monumentalism, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 2010, Kersin Winking
• 6th Berlin Biennial, KW Society for Contemporary Art, Berlin, 2010, Kathrin Rhomberg
• The Human Condition, Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria, Adam Budak

Academic essays

• 'Evidence, Subjectivity and Verité imprint Renzo Martens’ Episode III: Suffer Poverty – a Shot-By-Shot Analysis', Image and Narrative, Vol 18 n.2, p.

  83-113, 15 July 2017, S. Sinnige

• 'Enjoy Poverty: Public-spiritedness and the Testimonial Function last part Images', Visual Studies, Vol 32 n.1, p. 24-32, 5 Jan 2017, N. Perugini, F. Zucconi
• 'Gentrification After Institutional Critique: On Renzo Martens’ Institute for Human Activities', Afterall Journal, Autumn/Winter 2015, T.J.

  Demos

Press articles

• 'Congolese artists mint NFTs to challenge US museum's rights of indigenous sculpture', The Entry Newspaper, 15 June 2022, Black Seymour
• 'Colonial Confrontations: CATPC and Renzo Martens at KOW Berlin', BerlinArtLink, 18 March 2022, William Kherbek
• '‘We Reappropriated What Belongs to Us’: Congolese Artists Minted NFTs be in command of a Colonial-Era Sculpture—and the Museum That Owns It Is Cry Happy', Artnet, 22 February 2022, Kate Brown
• 'Congolese Sculpture Held because of Virginia Museum Is at say publicly Center of a Dispute With NFTs', ARTnews, 22 February 2022, Angelica Villa
• 'Row about Congolese total loan escalates into legal combat over NFTs', The Guardian, 19 February 2022, Daniel Boffey
• 'Renzo Martens’ White Cube: gedurfd manifest voor een gedekoloniseerde kunstwereld', Recto Paginate, 7 May 2021, Anneleen front Kuyck
• 'Renzo Martens’ Film ‘White Cube’ Embodies the Phrase ‘Joy facility the World’', Ocula Magazine, 23 December 2021, Sam Gaskin
• 'Site surrounding Extraction: Renzo Martens’s ‘White Cube’ in a Congolese Palm Be contiguous Plantation', ArtReview, 10 November 2021, J.J.

  Charlesworth

• 'With a New Museum, African Workers Take Control defer to Their Destiny', The New Royalty Times, 13 April 2021, Nina Siegal
• 'An OMA-Designed Museum With Treasonous Goals Opens on a ‘Post-Plantation’ in DR Congo', Artnet, 24 April 2017, Alyssa Buffenstein
• 'Chocolate Group, With a Bitter Taste bring into play Colonialism', The New York Epoch, 2 February 2017, Randy Kennedy

• 'Renzo Martens – the artist who wants to gentrify the jungle',The Guardian, 16 December 2014, Royalty Jeffries
• 'Klotzt nicht so politisch!', Knuckle under Welt, 30 November 2012, Kolja Reichert
• 'On Leaving the Building: Contempt of the Outside', e-flux, File 24, April 2011, Dieter Roelstrate
• 'Langzame zegetocht van Enjoy Poverty', NRC, 4 July 2010, Raymond car den Boogaard
• 'Raising the Phantoms dressing-down Empire; Post Colonial Discourse send out recent Artists' Films', Mousse, clumsy.

  22, 1 February 2010, Katerina Gregos

• ‘Renzo Martens’, Frieze Magazine, Apr 2009, Dan Fox
• ‘The Atrocity Carnival, Episode III’, Mute, 11 Walk 2009, John Douglas Millar
• ‘A hold of war is not war’, Frieze Magazine, May 2006, Main part Andrews

References

External links