Biography
About the artist:
Belgian born, Martine Martel studied painting in public art schools in Ghent and Brussels from early childhood on. Inspired by the Belgian masters of Modern Art, she turned professional when she moved permanently to Monaco after a career in academics and real-estate, an M.A.in Business and a Ph.D. in Economics from Brussels University. Martine Martel coined the term Aspirational Art to define her distinctive work that finds its poetic inspiration in the infinite skies and sea, away from the harsh realities of today’s world, and in contrast to the prevailing trends in contemporary art.
Technique:
Martine Martel works with oil on canvas, applied in a smooth texture in an apparent quest to soften the rough edges of contemporary life and its human drama. Her gossamer-thin glazes, layered in subtle variations of hues, alternately evoke the infinite depth of the universe or the rich translucency of stained glass. In effect, the bright Mediterranean light is IN the color and bounces off Martine Martel’s canvasses. Based on her oil paintings Martine Martel has recently also created luminous original photographic art which she occasionally publishes in small web-numbered and -registered limited series.
Artist Statement:
“The infinite sea and skies, the sun, the moon, and the stars are recurrent subjects in my work. Their ever-changing vistas provide me with an endless source of inspiration. Yet, capturing with my color glazes the bright Mediterranean light that I perceive from my high-perched city studio is a truly cathartic act that brings me serenity and solace in this overwhelmingly harsh world. With my art I aim to also appease the viewer and brighten his outlook.”
Selected Exhibitions and Solo Shows:
1 / Art Monaco, Booth "Ladies and Art", 25-28 April 2013;
2 / JCI European Conference 2013 Monte Carlo, May 29 - June 1, 2013;
3 / Zamenhof Art di Milano: Premio Internazionale d'Arte Contemporanea "Il Segno", Palazzo della Racchetta, Ferrara, September 20 - 27, 2013;
4 / Berufsverband Bildener Kunstler / Innen Liechtenstein (BBKL) and the Monegasque National Committee of the International Association of Plastic Arts at UNESCO (IIAP), Vaduz, Liechtenstein, November 5 - December 15, 2013;
5 / Personal show in the exhibition gallery of the Monegasque National Committee of the International Association of Plastic Arts (IIAP) at UNESCO, January 14 – 24, 2014;
6 / Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea, Museum in San Donato Milanese, Italy
February 22 - March 16, 2014;
7 / Centro d'Arte Moderna, Pisa, Italy, "Donne in Arte", February 22 - March 6, 2014;
8 / First Biennale of Art, Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo, February 27 - March 3, 2014;
9 / 8th Artistic Meeting Monaco - Japan, organized by Reijinsha and Monegasque National Committee of the IIAP, March 7 - 10, 2014;
10 / OASIS 2014, Mediateque, Sendai, Japan, April 4 - 8, 2014;
11 / OASIS 2014, Twin 21 OBP, Osaka, Japan, May 16 – 18, 2014;
12 / Monaco Artists Forum, Department of Cultural Affairs of Monaco, Rainier III Auditorium, June 5-15, 2014;
13/ Monaco Yacht Club, Monaco, June-September, 2014;
14/ PEACE: from Chagall and Miro to the Contemporaries, Museum of International Art MIIT, Turin, Italy, January 2015;
15/ Flyer Art Gallery, "Learning to Fly", March 2015;
16/ Venice Biennale, 56th International Art Exhibition 2015, Collateral Event: Galleria Priuli Bon, Venice, Italy, June 10-22, 2015
17/ 10th Artistic Meeting Monaco - Japan, organized by Reijinsha and Monegasque National Committee of the IIAP, Auditorium Rainier III, Monaco, February 12 - 14, 2016;
18/ Monaco Artists Forum, Department of Cultural Affairs of Monaco, Rainier III Auditorium, June 2-9, 2016
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