Carlos Martiel, Fundamento (Basis), 2020. Photo: Jorge Sanchez © Courtesy of the artist
On Wednesday, November 10 from 6 to 8 pm, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum presents Carlos Martiel’s most recent work, Monumento II (Monument II, 2021). Martiel is a Cuban artist who creates installation and performance works where his lone body undergoes ritualistic acts, pain, and extreme physical stress. While his socially engaged work challenges systems of violence, displacement, and immigration, the artist’s body under duress functions as a conduit for the histories and lived experiences of the Black body. These projects act as a commentary on oppressive and racist power structures, cultural hegemony, and global geopolitics.
Monumento II (Monument II, 2021), is a site-specific corporeal installation that makes visible the artist’s concerns with invisible power structures. This work follows Monumento I (2021), which featured Martiel’s blood-covered nude body as a temporary monument representing historically discriminated, oppressed, and excluded minorities in the United States. In this new presentation, Martiel will remain nude and handcuffed atop a pedestal in the Guggenheim Museum’s rotunda. Evoking a living sculpture, he will endure this fixed position in silence for several hours as a form of activism and physical resistance against the abuses of power that affect marginalized communities of color. Through the duration of Monumento II, visitors will be able to view the performance from multiple perspectives around the museum’s ascending ramp and alongside the current exhibitions.
This exhibition contains nudity and may not be suitable for all audiences. Tickets are free with museum admission and may be reserved at guggenheim.org/tickets.
Monumento II has been commissioned by the Guggenheim’s Latin American Circle and is organized by Pablo León de la Barra, Curator at Large, Latin America, and Geaninne Gutiérrez-Guimarães, Associate Curator, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, New York.
About the Artist
Born in Havana in 1989, Carlos Martiel studied at Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, Havana (2005–09), and Cátedra Arte de Conducta, Havana (2008–10), which was then led by Cuban performance artist Tania Bruguera. Martiel has participated in numerous biennials, including the 10th Havana Biennial (2010); 6th Liverpool Biennial (2010); 57th Venice Biennale (2017); 14th Bienal de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador (2018), 14th Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (2019); and 4th Vancouver Biennale (2019). He has also exhibited widely at international venues, including at Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana (2009); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, Havana (2012); Museo Hermann Nitsch, Naples (2013); Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Miami (2014); Bruce High Quality Foundation, Brooklyn (2015); Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Milan (2016); Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach (2018); Lux Art Institute, Encinitas (2020); El Museo del Barrio, New York (2021); and the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, New York (2021). He lives and works between Havana and Brooklyn.
About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The international constellation of museums includes the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. An architectural icon and “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is now among a group of eight Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the United States recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. To learn more about the museum and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org.
Health and Safety Information
In compliance with the New York City mandate, all visitors over the age of 12 must show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to enter the museum, and masks are required. Learn more about our COVID-19 safety protocols.
