film still “The Revolutions That Did (Not) Happen” - 2021

“Silvia Martes' films are experiments in non-linear storytelling and pseudo-fiction. Her interest in different scientific fields such as neurology, psychology and physics inspires her scripts in which fact and fiction merges. By the end her storylines are radically disconnected from reality and are therefore mesmerizing. The short films are often build on autobiographical elements and the artist keeps the material as close as possible to herself by producing nearly every process of the filmmaking by herself: she builds the sets, conducts the camera, acts, directs and edits.

The films of Martes do not usually originate from a set film-script. Through research, autobiographical stories, and interactions with actresses and locations, a narrative gradually develops. This capricious way of working deliberately remains visible in the completed films.

Through photographs, voice-overs, and rapid cuts, we are reminded that a story always contains references to other stories, most of which remain unarticulated and untold. As she summarizes herself: “I attempt to produce films with intricate worlds in which words aren’t always of the essence, with everyday characters moving through meticulously designed spaces who despite or because of their silence are able to communicate in a universal language. Worlds in which the force of gravity disappears and the protagonist owns the rights to the world around her. Universes with their own laws and judges, where things are multiplied, actions are turned backwards, the boundaries of real and ethereal are erased, and events, objects and persons that have had no connection in reality are finally brought together.””

Text written by Edit Molnar, co-director of Edith Russ Haus for Media Art
for retrospective solo show ‘Mechanical Manifestations’
2023