Kris Martin

Bio | Selected Works | CV

Kris Martin lives and works in Mullem, Belgium. His artistic work is characterized by an investigation into existential questions. His reflections on being materialized in works convey intense experiences with the passage of time, with life and death, spirituality, and religion. His installations, sculptures, photographs, videos, and drawings combine conceptual elements with a sensuous quality.

The artist frequently employs found objects that hold a particular fascination for him; to his mind, these objects trouvés are carriers of a number of different ideas as well as of their own history. Using minimal interventions and reduced means, Martin alters these objects, creating gaps that provide room for interpretation which the viewer can then fill with his or her own personal associations. Despite their melancholic and symbolic aspects, Kris Martin’s works never come across as pathos-ridden; instead, they touch the viewer with an existential urgency punctuated by mischievous humor. 

Previous solo shows have taken place at Kunsthalle Trier (2022); S.M.A.K., Ghent (2020, 2018); Kunstraum Innsbruck, Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck (2014); K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2013); Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Cologne (2012); Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg (2012); K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf (2009); Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Bergamo (2008); MoMA PS1, Contemporary Art Center, New York (2007); Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen (2006). His works are part of renowned collections, such as the MCA Museum of Olbricht collection, Berlin; Sammlung Boros, Berlin; Contemporary Art, Chicago; K21, Dusseldorf; the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.), Ghent; and the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.

Exhibitions