Kris Martin (born 1972 in Kortrijk)"Kris Martin Goes From Eros to Eternity at König Galerie Berlin". Blouin Art Info, BY Lisa Contag | July 20, 2016 is a Belgian conceptual visual artist. His work consists of monumental"MCA exhibition ‘S, M, L, XL’ engages with all shapes, sizes". DePauline, By Tiffany Freeman on May 17, 2015 and small-scale sculptures,"The Most Frequently Stolen Artwork in History Is…On the High Line?". Observer, Noah Charney September 30, 2015"Laugh At Death: Kris Martin on Mortality, Silent Bells and the Skeleton He Buried in an Art Museum's Front Lawn". Huffington Post, May 18 2014 drawings and interventions.
Recurring themes in his work are the notion of time, history and the transience of human existence. His artwork also explores the relationship between the creators and the consumers of art,"Sizing the Immaterial: S, M, L, XL at MCA". ArtSlant, 5/12/2015 by Stephanie Cristello and combines elements of contemplation with humour and playfulness."At the Jewish Museum, Kris Martin Riffs on Retail". ArtNetNews. Blake Gopnik, Tuesday, June 16, 2015 "The Shape of Things to Come, Saatchi Gallery / John Chamberlain, Gagosian Gallery, review". The Telegraph, Alastair Sooke, 30 May 2011
Among his best known works are 'Mandi XVIII', a plaster cast of the Laocoon group with the snakes omitted, and '100 years' a sculpture that will explode in 100 years from its conception. Martin has worked with curators Jan Hoet and Jens Hoffmann.
Martin held his first solo show in 2000. Since then he has mounted many solo exhibitions, and his work has been included in dozens of group exhibitions.
In 2020, a retrospective of Martin's work was held at S.M.A.K Ghent titled EXIT. The exhibition gathered many well known works amongst which the iconic Altar (2004), with recent additions such as Water (2020), a spread of vessels holding the life sustaining liquid.
Solo shows 2000 - Wahnsinn, Garden of Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle 2004 - Beaulieu Gallery, Wortegem-Petegem 2005 - Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen; Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf 2006 - Deus ex machina, Johann König, Berlin 2007 - MoMA PS1, New York; My Private 5, Piazza San Marco, Venedig; Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf; Marc Foxx, Los Angeles 2009 - Aspen Art Museum, Aspen; Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf; Johann König, Berlin 2010 - FESTUM, White Cube, London; T.Y.F.F.S.H., K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf; Almine Rech Gallery, Brüssel/Brussels 2011 - Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf; Marc Foxx, Los Angeles; The Magnificent Seven: Hammarby!, Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco 2012 - Every Day of the Weak, Kestnergesellschaft, Hannover, Kunstmuseum Bonn, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau; Mandi VIII, Lehmbruck-Museum, Duisburg; DO NOT CROSS THE RED LINE, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Köln; Festum II, Theseustempel, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien 2013 - Somebody, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf; White Cube, London; Künstlerraum, K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf 2016 - König Galerie, Berlin."Gallery Hopping: Kris Martin at König Galerie, Berlin". ArtNet News, Hili Perlson, August 5, 2016 2020 - EXIT, S.M.A.K, Ghent.
References
External links EXIT, Kris Martin Ghent retrospective, Flash Art issue 330, Elaine YJ Zheng Kris Martin on Artsy Kris Martin on Artsy Interview with Martin in the online magazine of Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen passage about Martin in 'Art for the people: a collector's journal' by Michael K. Corbin Catalogue to the overview exhibition "Everyday of the Weak", issued by Distanz Kris Martin at Sies + Höke gallery Kris Martin on ArtFacts