Renzo Martens in conversation
- lacunareadinggroup
- Apr 16, 2016
- 2 min read
Artists Discussion with Renzo Martens: A Fair Land
Friday 22 April 2016, 6 -7pm, Lecture Room, IMMA
In the context of the forthcoming project A Fair Land at IMMA, internationally renowned artist Renzo Martens discusses his practice with Adam Sutherland, Grizedale Arts and Sarah Glennie, Director, IMMA. This discussion reflects on Martens unique position as an artist and collaborator in relation to his conceptual documentary seriesEpisode I (2003) and Episode III: Enjoy Poverty (2008) and his work with the Institute for Human Activities (IHA).
In 2010 Martens founded IHA which aims to create gentrification effects in the Congolese rain forest through the establishment of an international art centre. IHA collaborates with local plantation workers and seeks to acknowledge the economic mechanisms through which art has the greatest impact on social reality. This stems from Martens research and documentary series that highlights the exploitation of underprivileged people by media industries and cultural producers, including Martens himself.
For Further Information
Renzo Martens was born in the Netherlands in 1973, studied Political Sciences in Nijmegen and Visual Arts in Ghent and Amsterdam. He is currently Yale World Fellow and a PhD researcher at the School of Arts, Ghent. In 2010 Martens founded the Institute for Human Activities (IHA) to investigate the possibilities of local improvements for the plantation workers of the Congo. He participated in numerous international exhibitions, including the 19th Biennale of Sydney in 2014, the Moscow Biennale 2013, and the 6th and 7th Berlin Biennial in 2010 and 2012. He lives and works in Amsterdam, Brussels and Kinshasa. For more details, visit the artists website: http://www.renzomartens.com/news
A Fair Land at IMMA examines the usefulness of art by inviting artists and creatives to activate IMMAs courtyard this summer with the aim of presenting new, artist-led visions for a functioning future society. This project is in collaboration with Grizedale Arts. For more details on Grizedale Arts, visit the website: http://www.grizedale.org.
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