Events
In the Gallery with Carlos Martiel
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Hemispheric Institute
20 Cooper Square, First Floor Gallery Space
About
About
Join us for a conversation with artist Carlos Martiel, who will discuss the past and present significance of his work Ruinas (2015), his HIDVL collection, and his current projects.
In Ruinas, artist Carlos Martiel lies naked in a fetal position on the floor of a gallery. We watch as two white men cover him with rocks until his body can no longer be seen. For the artist, this piece thematizes the extermination of indigenous populations and the violent colonization of indigenous land by dominant industrialized European culture. Martiel states, “Progressivism [has] buried native traditions, folklore, and wisdom. This work proposes the body as a seed on which a possible new society is built. My body is made invisible [by the performance] but is not displaced.”
Carlos Martiel lives and works in New York. He graduated in 2009 from the National Academy of Fine Arts, the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, in Havana. Between 2008 and 2010, he studied in the Cátedra Arte de Conducta, directed by the artist Tania Bruguera. Martiel’s works have been included in numerous international biennials and exhibited in museums worldwide. His works are in public and private collections such as The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Miami; the Museu de Arte do Rio, Rio de Janeiro. He was an Artist in Residence at the Hemispheric Institute in 2022.
20 Cooper Square, First Floor Gallery
New York, NY 10003
This event will be in English.
This is an in-person event that requires registration. All non-NYU attendees must RSVP in advance. Video documentation will be made available on the Institute website following the event.
Mobility Access
The main entrance to the Hemispheric Institute at 20 Cooper Square is wheelchair accessible and there is elevator service to our space on the 5th floor.
Nearby ADA accessible transit stations include: B, C, D, and F at Broadway and Lafayette station. Q, N, R, W, 4, 5, and 6 trains at 14th Street station.
Accessible Programming
All of our virtual and pre-recorded programming are equipped with automated closed-captioning.
Accessibility Inquiries
The Hemispheric Institute provides reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations for events and services should be submitted at least two weeks before the date of the accommodation need. Please submit your request in the event registration form or call for assistance.
Restrooms
The Hemispheric Institute at 20 Cooper Square offers ADA accessible and gender neutral restrooms with changing tables.