The Monsters
Lithographs
Others
Biography
Argentinian artist Marcelo Martin Burgos’ polished and gilded bronze sculptures have their origins in the world of children’s imagination and the creatures that inhabit it. The artist invites the viewer on a journey back to childhood, envisioned as a “golden age” of freedom, joy and creativity.
The beginnings in art and the dual career of the sculptor and filmmaker
Marcelo Martin Burgos (La Plata, Argentina, 1971) lives and works between Buenos Aires and Madrid. He has been practising sculpture for some thirty years, in parallel with his career as a filmmaker. The two activities are complementary for the artist who finds equilibrium in this alternation between immobility and movement, solitary and teamwork, gesture and speech. The process of sculptural creation, which takes place over a long period of time, has taught him to appreciate the process of film creation: “When you finish [a sculpture or a film], you can be more or less satisfied with the result, even proud sometimes, but the fun is gone, you need to start a new piece“.
Marcelo Martin Burgos’ love of art and creativity was evident from a very early age: as a child, he spent his time drawing and building his own games out of cardboard and wood. Later he went to art school, where he learned different techniques and took his first steps in sculpture with the master and sculptor Gustavo Ibarra. However, the traditional training proved limiting for the artist, who soon became bored with his art practice.
One day, he came across some children’s drawings while he was walking in a park. Like a Proust’s madeleine moment, these drawings suddenly brought back memories of childhood, when he often drew without reason or purpose. Since then, the artist has been trying to shake himself loose from the teaching he received and to forget about art history as a prerequisite “to regain the true sense of freedom and joy I had making art as a young boy“.
Marcelo Martin Burgos: the golden age of childhood
The contemporary sculptor‘s world is deeply rooted in childhood. Growing up in the orphanage where his father was director, he was struck by the incredible creativity and courage of the children living there, finding in their imagination the means to escape the harshness of their situation. “All children I find fascinating. The way their imagination works, helping them making sense of an enormous, mysterious and overwhelming world they are thrown into.”
Children’s stories, dreams and nightmares, populated by fantastic creatures, demons, monsters and dragons, provide Marcelo Martin Burgos with an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In his series of contemporary sculptures, The Monsters, the artist has mixed them with references from the world of cartoons and manga, as well as African and Toltec sculpture. Far from being frightening, these creatures are instead protective and comforting presences, innocent and yet powerful, like children.
The artist’s creative process begins with drawing, simple sketches made quickly, from which he builds forms with clay, foam, wire or wood. He then models and 3D prints the sculptures. The final sculptures are produced at the foundry in bronze, a material he appreciates both for its nobility and versatility and, above all, for the way its surface looks when polished: golden like gold and reflective like a mirror.
In many cultures, golden statuary is reserved for deities, this metal being associated with all that is sacred and spiritual. For Marcelo Martin Burgos, gold acquires a very important meaning in this respect, as the sacred is linked to childhood: “What I want with these sculptures is to connect, connect with every person’s inner child and remind them that children imagination and memories are sacred… and golden“. The reflective aspect of the polished bronze is also a way of inviting the viewers on a journey into their childhood through the inclusion of their image in the work. Marcelo Martin Burgos does not shy away from the perennial comment associated with contemporary art: “a child could do the same” because, for him, this is undoubtedly a compliment of the highest order.
CV
Education
- 1982 – 1989 – Superior School of Fine Arts, Francisco A. De Santo
- 1996 – 1999 – Studies sculpture in Buenos Aires with Maestro Gustavo Ibarra
Exhibitions
- 2020 – COBO, WARHOL, PAGOLA, SUMMERS, BURGOS. Mados space, Madrid, Spain
- 2020 – Bestiario 2020, Madrid, Spain
- 2019 – Marcelo Burgos Litografías, Madrid, Spain
- 2018 – Leftovers of art – Collective, Factoría de Papel, Madrid, Spain
- 2018 – MARCELO BURGOS. Prints 2011-2018. Ediciones Denis Long, Madrid, Spain
- 2017 – SOBRAS DE ARTE – Collective, Paper Factory, Madrid, Spain
- 2016 – GRAPHIC WORK, SCULPTURE AND FURNITURE – Álvaro Alcázar Gallery, Madrid, Spain
- 2016 – SOBRAS DE ARTE – Collective, Paper Factory, Madrid, Spain
- 2016 – BLING BLING – Individual Exhibition, La Factoría de Papel, Madrid, Spain
- 2014 – SOBRAS DE ARTE – Collective, La Factoría de Papel, Madrid, Spain
- ART FAIRS
- 2020 – Otraferiadearte – Álvaro Alcázar Gallery, Madrid, Spain
- 2016 – ART MARBELLA 2016 – Collective, Álvaro Alcázar Gallery, Marbella, Spain
Articles
Sculpture: An interview with Marcelo Martin Burgos
Marcelo Martin Burgos' golden bronze sculpture are anchored in the childhood universe he is fascinated about. Robots, monsters, and other creatures...