Lani Maestro (born 1957) is a Filipino-Canadian artist who divides her time between France and Canada. She works in installation, sound, video, bookworks and writing. From 1990-94 Maestro was co-founder/co-publisher and designer of HARBOUR Magazine of Art and Everyday Life, a journal of artworks and writings by artists, writers and theorists based in Montreal.

Early life and education

Maestro was born in Manila and studied at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...

where she received a BFA. She pursued an MFA at

NSCAD University NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design or NSCAD, is a public art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The univ ...

in Halifax. She taught studio arts at the Nova Scotia College Of Art and Design (now known as

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = '' Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Wease ...

. For ten years, she taught in the MFA program at Concordia University.

Exhibition History

In 1994, the artist showed at the Chambre Blanche Gallery in Quebec City in an exhibition titled "Lani Maestro: A Wound in the Lung". Maestro showed an installation entitled "Paramita" in the Ohrenlust exhibition at the Centre d'Art Contemporain de Basse-Normandie in 1997. In 2006, the artist was featured in a solo exhibition at Dalhousie Art Gallery, curated by Susan Gibson Garvey.

Selected Participation in International Biennale

Singapore Biennale The Singapore Biennale is a large-scale biennial contemporary art exhibition in Singapore, serving as the country’s major platform for international dialogue in contemporary art. It seeks to present and reflect the vigour of artistic practices in ...

(2019) * Maestro represented the Philippines at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

with artist

Manuel Ocampo Manuel Ocampo (born 1965) is a Filipino artist. His work fuses sacred Baroque religious iconography with secular political narrative. His works draw upon a wide range of art historical references, contain cartoonish elements, and draw inspiratio ...

(2017) * Busan Biennale, Busan, Korea (2004) * Shanghai Biennial, Shanghai, China (2001) * The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia (1999) * The 11th

Biennale of Sydney The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...

(1998) * The Fifth

Istanbul Biennial The Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that has been held biennially in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since its inception. Format Istanbul Bien ...

(1997) * The Segunda and the Quinta Bienal dela Habana (

Havana Biennial The Bienal de La Habana was founded in 1984. It takes place in Havana (Cuba) every two years. It principally aims at promoting the developing world in contemporary art circles, giving priority to Latin American and Caribbean artists, although art ...

) (1986,1994) * The Canadian Biennial of Contemporary Art (1989)

Selected Solo & Duo Exhibitions

1994 - La Chambre Blanche, Quebec City, QC., ''a wound in the lung'' 1993 - OO Gallery, Halifax, N.S., ''Holding to Earth'' (collaborative exhibition) 1993 -

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Bev ...

, Toronto, ON., ''Perspectives'' (two-person exhibition) 1991 - Art Speak Gallery, Vancouver, BC. 1990 - Galerie Articule, Montreal, QC., ''Monsoon'' 1990 - The Mount Saint Vincent Gallery, Halifax, N.S., ''Refuse'' 1989 - Gallery Connexion, Fredericton, N.B., ''incision to heal'' 1989 - Embassy Cultural House, London, ON, ''Water of Lethe'' 1989 - Eye Level Gallery, Halifax, N.S., ''Monsoon'' 1988 - Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, N.S., ''The Heart is Stronger Than the Hand'' 1988 - dl gallery, Calgary, AB., ''The Heart is Stronger Than the Hand'' 1987 - Cultural Center for the Philippines, Manila, ''Suspended Voices'' 1985 - Latitude 53, Edmonton, AB., ''Unang Alay (First Offering)'' 1983 - Center for Art Tapes. Red Herring Cooperative, Halifax, N.S., ''Correspondences'' 1983 - Amnesty International Conference, St. Mary's University, Halifax, N.S., ''Manila Envelopes'' 1981 - Cultural Center for the Philippines, Manila, ''New Works on Paper''

Awards

Among her many awards is the Seugunda Bienal de la Habana in Cuba in 1985, the Hnatyshyn Award for outstanding achievement by a Canadian artist in the visual arts in 2012. In 2018, she received an Honorary Doctorate Honoris Causa from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Publication

''Cradle: Lani Maestro'' by Carolyn Forchê (1996) ''Lani Maestro: Chambres de quiétude/ Quiet Rooms (2001)'' Gallerie De L'UQAM ''Paramita'' (2001) Centre d'Art Contemporain de Basse-Normandie (Hérouville St-Clair, France) ''je suis toi'' (2006) Wharf, Centre d'art contemporain de Basse-Normandie ''Lani Maestro: Sing Mother (twilight eats you)'' (2007) Dalhousie Art Gallery ''Lani Maestro "her rain'' (2011) Centre A - Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art/ Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art (Winnipeg).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maestro, Lani 1957 births Living people Canadian people of Filipino descent 21st-century Canadian artists Filipino women artists 21st-century Canadian women artists