Miss Maria Bartolo
My work has evolved from the anxiety of showing art and is often missed at exhibition. In a gallery bathroom I installed a hand wash dispenser filled withsoap made from my own perfume, the only evidence being the smell left on the audience’s hands. In another piece necklaces that express doubt and uncertainty are worn by gallery invigilators. Such works allow me to be both present and absent, and people often know of my work only from reading the press release or by word of mouth.
I am co – curator and exhibit in Buffet d’art, which recently toured Berlin and London. Buffet d’art showcases 47 artists all of whom have been invited to bring along a buffet size piece of work, to be perused on a plinth. The show is a meleè of mismatched yet aspiring works, some with delusions of grandeur, others grubby with spillage and monotonous repetition, set to a medley of smooth and relaxing music, designed to whet the senses and heighten your experience of these buffet-inspired memories.
In the last 5 years I have curated and shown work in Berlin, Istanbul and London and have work in The Arts Council and Mick Jagger Collection.
I did an MA in Contemporary Art Theory at Goldsmiths University and have participated in symposia at the ICA and Tate Britain.
In addition I have taught as a Visiting Lecturer on MA Fashion and MA Art and Media Practice at University of Westminster and also on BA Fine Art at Central St Martins and The Slade (UCL).
I am co – curator and exhibit in Buffet d’art, which recently toured Berlin and London. Buffet d’art showcases 47 artists all of whom have been invited to bring along a buffet size piece of work, to be perused on a plinth. The show is a meleè of mismatched yet aspiring works, some with delusions of grandeur, others grubby with spillage and monotonous repetition, set to a medley of smooth and relaxing music, designed to whet the senses and heighten your experience of these buffet-inspired memories.
In the last 5 years I have curated and shown work in Berlin, Istanbul and London and have work in The Arts Council and Mick Jagger Collection.
Prior to this I curated and presented a series of radio programmes called The Subway Sect on Resonance FM. This project is in collaboration with art Monthly's Eliza Williams and explores the relationship between contemporary art and music. Contributors include Jim Lambie, Hayley Newman, Peter Saville (Factory records), Dan Fox (Frieze), Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine, Lost In Translation) and Andrew Innes (Primal Scream)
I was a freelance features writer for art and photography magazines Contemporary and Hot Shoe.