shantell martin

Below the surface of Shantell Martin’s signature black and white drawings is an artists’ inquiry into the role of artist and viewer, where a work of art is more than an object of admiration disconnected from its inception. With a meditative process defined by an uninhibited flow, her compositions embody her internal state and the impermanence of the world around her. Exploring themes such as intersectionality, identity and play, Martin is a cultural facilitator, forging new connections between fine art, education, design, philosophy and technology.

In addition to prestigious solo shows at some of the most renown art institutions including the 92Y Gallery in New York City, the iconic Albright Knox Gallery and the MoCADA Museum, Martin has carved a path for herself that is as much intellectual as a visual artist. During her two year tenure as an MIT Media Lab Visiting Scholar, Martin collaborated with the social computing group to use drawing as a medium to explore the interaction of social processes with physical spaces.

At the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Martin created a large scale wall installation and worked with the Institute’s research group to explore how visual and computerized storytelling might influence media and technology innovation.

A fashion and design icon in her own right, Martin has collaborated with iconic brands such as Nike, Vitra, Max Mara, Tiffany & Co., and in 2018, Puma launched a global capsule collection featuring her drawings. Martin has collaborated with legendary artists such as Pulitzer Prize winning performance artist Kendrick Lamar and acclaimed designer Kelly Wearstler. In late 2018, she was asked to collaborate with the prestigious New York City Ballet, where she created large scale drawings in the performance hall and foyer of the Lincoln Center for the company’s celebrated Art Series. She continues to teach as an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program), where she works with her students to push the boundaries of storytelling, visual art and technology.

AWARDS
2019 92Y, Extraordinary Women Award
2019 Shorty Award: Best in Art
2017 MoCADA Museum, Artist Advocacy Award
2015 Intel Women Who Spark Award, for women in Technology
(Awarded by People Magazine, People en Español and ESSENCE Magazine, in partnership
with Intel Corp)

EDUCATION/ACADEMIA
2016 - The Climate Change Museum, Advisory Board Member
2016 - Brown Institute of Media Innovation Fellow, Columbia University, New York, US
2016 - Artist in Residence, Autodesk, Pier 9, SF
2015 - P3 Studio residency, Vegas, NV, US
2014 - 2015 ITP/NYU Artist in Residence, New York, NY
2014 - 2016 Sundance New Frontier, resident, US
2014 - 2016 MIT Media Lab Visiting Scholar, New York, US
2013 - Present ITP/NYU Tish Adjunct Professor, New York, US
2013 - April - May: Clark College Residency (Vancouver, Washington State)
2000 - 2003 BA Graphic Design/Illustration, Central Saint Martins London, UK
1999 - 2000 Foundation Course, Camberwell College of Arts, London, UK
1991-1999 Bexleyheath School, Bexleyheath, Kent

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Whitney Museum Show Installation - TBD
2020 Solo Show New Britain Museum of American Art - Upcoming
2019 The May Room, Governors Island, NY
2019 Lines and Words (Installation), Denver Art Museum, CO
2019 Find Your Way, Lincoln Center, New York City, Ballet, NY
2018 'We’ll get there eventually', Standard Space Gallery, Sharon, CT
2018 WHY NOW, The 92Y Gallery, New York, US
2017 Charge Yourself, Chandran Gallery, San Francisco, CA, US
2017 Someday We Can, The Albright Knox, Buffalo, NY, US
2016 Gone, 3 Howard Street, New York, NY, US
2016 Drawing, Coldstream Fine Art, Toronto, Canada
2016 Connecting, Open Gallery, Boston, MA
2014 ARE YOU YOU, MoCADA Museum, Brooklyn, NY, US
2012 3x1 + Shantell Martin Soho, New York, NY
2011 Message on a Bottle World Six Gallery, Rosemary Beach, FL
2010 Inside-Out, Outside-In Collette Blanchard Gallery, New York, NY
2010 Shantell Martin Studio b, Alys Beach, FL

GROUP SHOWS
2014 Crossing Brooklyn, Brooklyn Museum, NY
2014 New/ Idols, Studio 301, Brooklyn, NY

SELECTED NOTABLE LIVE PERFORMANCES
2019 Adobe Max, Main Stage, LA
2018 In conversation with Ilana Glazer, 92Y, NY
2017 Samsung Creators Unpacked, Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall, New York, NY, US
2016 Kendrick Lamar x Shantell Martin, Art Basel, Miami, FL, US
2016 KCA Black Ball, Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY
2011/06 Digital Graffiti, Alys Beach, FL
2011/05 Mapping Festival, Geneva, Switzerland
2011/01 Museum of the Moving Image, New York, NY
2010/12 Yota Space Festival, St Petersburg, Russia
2010/10 Onedotzero Festival, London, England
2010/02 MoMA, New York, NY
2009/11 Motion Graphics Festival, Washington D.C

NOTABLE MEDIA APPEARANCES
2011/06 News Channel 7/13 “Message on a Bottle”
2011/04 Guest Speaker, F5 Conference
2010/06 Profiled on CNN, “Digital Graffiti”
2010/04 Gossip Girl, Episode: “Dr. Estrangelove”
2010/04 Guest Speaker, PFSK Conference

MAJOR BRAND COLLABORATIONS
Tiffany & Co, Flos, Kelly Wearstler, Vitra, Puma Select, Jose Cuervo/1800, Max Mara, Kendrick
Lamar, Martone Cycling, WME IMG/New York Fashion Week, Interview Magazine, Saks Fifth
Ave, Canada, AmFAR, RED, United Arrows, Warby Parker, Amex & KCA Blackball.