Amalia Ulman (born 1989) is an Argentinian artist and film director based in New York City whose practice includes
performance
A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function.
Management science
In the work place ...
,
installation
Installation may refer to:
* Installation (computer programs)
* Installation, work of installation art
* Installation, military base
* Installation, into an office, especially a religious (Installation (Christianity) Installation is a Christian l ...
,
video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
and
net-art works. Her work deals with issues of
class, gender, sexuality, and
middlebrow aesthetics.
In 2021, Ulman made her feature film debut, with ''
El Planeta
''El Planeta'' is a Boston-based Spanish language newspaper serving the Hispanic community of New England. It is the largest Spanish-language newspaper in New England.
Company history
Founded by Javier Marin in 2004 in Brookline, Massachusetts ...
''.
Early life
Ulman was born in Argentina in 1989
[ and was raised in ]Gijón
Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...
, in the Spanish province of Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...
, after emigrating with her family.
In 2009, she left Spain to study at Central Saint Martins
Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...
in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where she graduated in 2011. In 2013, she was in a serious Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
bus accident that left her with a permanent disability.
Career
In April 2013, Ulman presented a video essay ''Buyer, Walker, Rover'' as a Skype lecture at the Regional State Archives in Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
.
In 2014, she presented two solo shows in LA, CA, ''Used & New'' at ltd Los Angeles and ''Delicious Works'' at Smart Objects, also in LA.
The same year Ulman started "Excellences & Perfections", a four-month performance on her Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account where she fabricated a fictional characters whose story unfolded in three different episodes. Her intention was to prove how easy an audience can be manipulated through the use of mainstream archetypes. Instagram selfie
A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as F ...
s were mainly taken sneaking into hotels and restaurants in Los Angeles and posted as if they documenting a real life. Excellences and Perfections was later chosen to be a part of the Electronic Superhighway Exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery in 2016.
In October 2014, during Frieze Art Fair
Frieze Art Fair is an international contemporary art fair in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Frieze London takes place every October in London's Regent's Park. In the US, the fair ran on New York's Randall's Island from 2012–19 and in 2 ...
, Ulman presented a solo show ''The Destruction of Experience'' at Evelyn Yard in London. For the show Ulman made "The Future Ahead", a video essay about Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's "growth from angelic teenager to hetero-normative white male".
In January 2015, she presented ''Stock Images of War,'' her first solo show in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at James Fuentes Gallery. It is an immersive installation
Installation may refer to:
* Installation (computer programs)
* Installation, work of installation art
* Installation, military base
* Installation, into an office, especially a religious (Installation (Christianity) Installation is a Christian l ...
composed of twelve simple wire-frame sculptures, each one being after a different month of the year – i.e. "War in January", "War in February", etc. Towards the end of the same year, Ulman started ''Privilege,'' a second, year long, Instagram performance that lasted until shortly after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The work presented an exaggerated version of Ulman that explored multiplicity
Multiplicity may refer to: In science and the humanities
* Multiplicity (mathematics), the number of times an element is repeated in a multiset
* Multiplicity (philosophy), a philosophical concept
* Multiplicity (psychology), having or using multi ...
in a corporate office setting.
In 2016 "Excellences and Perfections" was selected to be included in the group exhibition ''Performing for the Camera'' at Tate Modern
Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...
, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(18 February — 12 June 2016). The exhibition, examined the relationship between photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...
and performance, brought together over 500 works spanning 150 years from the invention of photography to the selfie
A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as F ...
-culture of today. Through Ulman's Instagram-based project, social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
was examined in the historical context of photographic performances. The installation was also part of the exhibition ''Electronic Highway'' at Whitechapel Gallery
The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fir ...
in London. Ulman has been described as the first social network-based artist to enter top institutional galleries, and the "First great Instagram Artist" by Elle magazine
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the wo ...
.
In 2018, ''Excellences & Perfections'' was published as a book by Prestel
Prestel (abbrev. from press telephone), the brand name for the UK Post Office Telecommunications's Viewdata technology, was an interactive videotex system developed during the late 1970s and commercially launched in 1979. It achieved a maximu ...
. It includes the Instagram posts that she used for the project and essays by German artist Hito Steyerl
Hito Steyerl (born 1 January 1966) is a German filmmaker, moving image artist, writer, and innovator of the essay documentary. , editor Rob Horning and others.
Film
In 2021, Ulman premiered her first feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
, ''El Planeta
''El Planeta'' is a Boston-based Spanish language newspaper serving the Hispanic community of New England. It is the largest Spanish-language newspaper in New England.
Company history
Founded by Javier Marin in 2004 in Brookline, Massachusetts ...
'', at the Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
to critical acclaim. Ulman wrote, produced, and directed the feature, which stars herself and her mother. An absurdist comedy, the film centers on the story of a mother and daughter facing eviction in post-crisis Spain and scamming their way to a more comfortable lifestyle. The film is loosely based on the real-life Spanish mother-daughter petty-crime duo Justina and Ana Belén. The film was shot in black and white in Gijon, the Spanish town where Ulman grew up. In March 2021, film distribution company Utopia announced that it had bought the North American rights to ''El Planeta''. The film was selected for screening at the Brisbane International Film Festival
The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, doc ...
and the Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
in October and November 2021 respectively.[
Ulman's next film will deal with ]climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and will be shot in northern Argentina, where she was born.
Personal life
As of 2021, Ulman lives with her husband in New York City. Ulman is autistic
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
.
Solo exhibitions
* ''Savings & Shelves,'' Headquarters, Zurich
* ''Overcome, cleanse,'' Galeria Adriana Suarez, Gijon
* ''Promise a Future,'' Marbriers 4, Geneva
* ''Moist Forever,'' Future Gallery, Berlin
* ''Ethira,'' Arcadia Missa, London
* ''Used & New,'' Ltd, Los Angeles
* ''Delicious Works,'' Smart Objects, Los Angeles
* ''Babyfootprints Crow's Feet,'' Ellis King, Dublin
* ''The Destruction of Experience,'' Evelyn Yard Gallery, London
* ''Stock Images of War,'' James Fuentes Gallery, New York City
* ''International House Of Cozy,'' Showroom MAMA, Rotterdam
* ''Reputation,'' New Galerie, Paris
* ''Labour Dance,'' Arcadia Missa, London
* ''Dignity,'' James Fuentes Gallery, New York City
* ''Intolerance,'' Barro, Buenos Aires
* ''Monday Cartoons'', Deborah Schamoni, Munich
* ''Atchoum!'', Galerie Sympa, Figeac
* ''New World 1717'', Rockbund Art Museum
The Rockbund Art Museum (RAM, ) is a contemporary art museum in central Shanghai. The museum is on Huqiu Road, in the former Royal Asiatic Society building completed in 1933 near The Bund waterfront. The museum is dedicated to being an influentia ...
, Shanghai
* ''Privilege,'' James Fuentes Gallery, New York City
See also
*Aliza Shvarts
Aliza Shvarts (born 1986) is an artist and writer who works in performance, video, and installation. Her art and writing explore queer and feminist understandings of reproduction and duration, and use these themes to affirm abjection, failure, and ...
* Post-Internet art
Notes
References
External links
*
* Cadence Kinsey
"The Instagram artist who fooled thousands"
on the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
website.
"Buyer, walker, rover" Skype lecture, Regional State Archives in Gothenburg, 2013
''CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulman, Amalia
1989 births
Spanish women artists
Spanish women photographers
Living people
Spanish contemporary artists
Digital artists
Women digital artists
Argentine emigrants to Spain
Spanish photographers
Spanish sculptors
Spanish performance artists
Internet art
New media artists
21st-century women photographers