Martin Reyna

biography

Martin Reyna (1964, Buenos Aires) uses water soluble materials which allowed to flow to seek independent paths in their travel along the surface of the paper. In addition to the use of perspective, different rhythms, falls and accidents of matter accentuated by the intensity of color are noted in his works.

Reyna belongs to the generation of painters who in the eighties focused on a painting of expressionist tone. His works, over time, have been composed of subtle lines, inspired by the landscape. His current works are composed of minimum elements that flow seeking paths trough the surface. It can be observed in his works, beside the use of perspective, the different rhythms, falls and accidents of matter accentuated by the intensity of the color. Reyna has gone through different periods with more than three decades of experimentation. From his early works of the 80s, where houses and landscapes embedded symbols are evident between the ambiguity of chaos and order, to its large format watercolors where color becomes key to the development of his unique point of view.

The series of polyptychs is developed from direct contact with the open air of the Argentine Patagonia, in the region of Parallel 42, very close to the Andean mountain range or in Bois de Boulogne, on the outskirts of Paris. The intention of this action is not to record the places in a documentary way, but denote the possibility that the artist finds to relate with Nature through the painting technique, starting from the sensory experience and the direct perception that he finds in said contexts, especially of its light.

The fragmentation of the work allows a double reading based on the apparent continuity and discontinuity of its figures. In this way, it forces us to stop looking at the limits where there are cuts and interruptions in the logic of color, but to captivate and contemplate the final disposition of the whole set.

Martín Reyna has numerous individual exhibitions, among which stand out: Asturian Perspective, La Maison de L’Amerique Latine (Paris, France), En el Horizonte del Color, Del Infinito (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Galeria Hogar Collection (New York, USA), La couleur de l’eau. Pavillon de l’eau (Paris, France) and Carta et aquarello, Instituto Italo Latinoamericano (Rome, Italy). He has been awarded with several like the Chandon acquisition award – arteBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; (2012), Antorchas Foundation Arts Prize, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1997), Jean-François Millet Prize for Painting, Honorable Mention Costantini Prize, National Museum of Fine Arts of Buenos Aires (MNBA), Painting Prize from the Nuevo Mundo Foundation, National Museum of Fine Arts of Buenos Aires (1991 and 1989) and Gunther Painting Prize, CAYC. He has participated in numerous International art fairs such as: Buenos Aires Contemporary Art Fair (ArteBA), Peru Contemporary Art Fair (PArC), Madrid Contemporary Art Fair (Arco) and Bogotá International Art Fair (ArtBO). In 2017 he presented his most recent book, edited with Del Infinito.

He currently lives and works in Paris, France.