Shantell Martin: Past, Present, Future will invite viewers to contemplate the multifaceted nature of time and our ever-evolving relationship with it. From the tangible echoes of the past to the fleeting immediacy of the now and the imagined landscapes of what is to come, the works presented will delve into the subjective and objective dimensions of temporality. Past, Present, Future will encourage reflection on how the past shapes our present, how the present informs our future, and ultimately, how we navigate the continuous and often elusive currents of time that define our existence. For this exhibition, Martin will design an immersive site-specific installation in the West Gallery of the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts, featuring textiles, murals, and an engagement space, as well as a new outdoor sculpture commissioned for the exhibition. Curated by Kathleen Ogilvie Greene, Chief Audience Officer at Grounds For Sculpture.
About Shantell Martin
Based in Los Angeles, CA, but with a practice that knows no geographical boundaries, Shantell Martin (b. 1980, London, England) has collaborated with an inspiring array of corporate clients, cultural institutions, and world-renowned brands. In 2003 she graduated from Central Saint Martins in London with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design/Illustration. Following her education, Martin moved to Japan where she launched a highly successful career as a VJ (video jockey), creating live-drawn digital and analog visuals in clubs for DJs, dancers, and musicians, layering the visual, digital, and performance aspects of her practice. Her work spans diverse industries, consistently breaking barriers between the commercial world and fine art, establishing new ground through impactful, visually captivating projects. At Art Basel in Miami in 2016 she collaborated on a live performance with rapper/musician Kendrick Lamar. who said, “When I see Shantell’s work it feels like home to me.”
Some notable awards Martin received are an MBE (2024) in the King’s New Year Honours list for services to the British Arts and to Charity, the 92Y, Extraordinary Women Award (2019), Shorty Award – Best in Art (2019), MoCADA Museum – Artist Advocacy Award (2017), and the Intel Women Who Spark Award – Women in Technology (2015, Awarded by People Magazine, People en Español, and ESSENCE Magazine, in partnership with Intel Corp). Some of her recent solo exhibitions include The Path: A Meditation in Lines, Times Square, NY (2024); KITES (ballet), Boston Opera House, MA (2022); ; Shantell Martin: Words and Lines, Denver Art Museum, CO (2021); NEW/NOW, New Britain Museum of American Art, CT (2020), Waves, Band Of Vices Gallery, LA (2020), The May Room, Governors Island, NY (2019), Shantell Martin: Words and Lines, Denver Art Museum, CO (2019-2021); and Find Your Way, Lincoln Center, New York City, Ballet, NY (2019).
Support for the Shantell Martin exhibition is provided in part by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a division of the NJ Department of State, and a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Atlantic Foundation, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
