David Lamelas (born 1946,
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
) is an Argentine artist. A pioneer of
Conceptual art, he was involved in Argentina's avant-garde scene in the 1960s. Well known for his sculptures and films, Lamelas lives and works between Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, and Europe.
Education and early career
Lamelas graduated from the Academia
Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1963. Early in his career he focused on sculpture and participated in exhibits in Buenos Aires. During the 1960s, he was one of the key members of the
Instituto Torcuatro di Tella, an organization that promoted avant-garde and conceptual art. The contemporary art movement in Argentina met opposition from the government starting in June 1966 when President
Arturo Umberto Illia
Arturo Umberto Illia (; 4 August 1900 – 18 January 1983) was President of Argentina from 1963 until 1966 Argentine coup d'état, his overthrow in 1966. He was part of the Radical Civic Union, and the People's Radical Civic Union during his pre ...
was deposed. Newly appointed President
Juan Carlos Onganía, a right-wing conservative, used the
Argentine Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic () are the combined armed forces of Argentina. It is controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the Army, Navy and Air Force
An air ...
to suppress political opposition coming from universities and the youth. The government also began policing outspoken artists. By his own account, David Lamelas had been arrested and jailed four times by 1968.
In 1967, Lamelas exhibited at the 9th São Paulo Biennial. His installation, ''Dos Espacios Modificados'' – Two Modified Spaces, won top prize. Later the same year, his installation ''Situacion de Tiempo'' – Time Situation was on display in Buenos Aires.
In 1968 he left Argentina to study sculpture at
Saint Martin's School of Art
Saint Martin's School of Art was an art school, art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's beca ...
in London.
Also in 1968, Lamelas was invited to represent Argentina in the 1968
Venice Biennial
The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...
. His installation, ''The Office of Information about the Vietnam War at Three Levels: The Visual Image, Text and Audio,'' is representative of many of Lamelas' themes including media, communication, information, and critique of United States foreign policy.
Lamelas' interest in film began during his studies in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Among his best-known films are "Film Script", "To Pour Milk Into a Glass", and "The Dictator".
His films contain themes of time, space, surveillance, and popular culture.
Awards
In 1992, Lamelas received the Diploma al Mérito at the
Konex Foundation Awards for Conceptual Art and in 2012, the same award for Video Art.
In 1993, he received a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
for Fine Arts and in 1998, the DAAD Stipendium from Germany.
Selected exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
A New Refutation of Time 1997, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art
David Lamelas, Extranjero, Foreigner, Étranger, Ausländer 2005. Museo Tamayo. Mexico City
David Lamelas 2006, Secession, Vienna
References
External links
*
*
Finding Aid for David Lamelas papers, 1964-1997 Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamelas, David
Argentine contemporary artists
Argentine expatriates in the United States
1946 births
Artists from Buenos Aires
Living people