BIOGRAPHY
Silvia Martes (b. 1985, Eindhoven, the Netherlands) lives and works in Amsterdam.
She studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and was an artist-in-residence at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten from 2019 to 2021.
In 2021, she was shortlisted for the Prix de Rome and won the Theodora Niemeijer Prize.
She has held solo exhibitions at Museum De Pont (Tilburg) and the Van Abbemuseum (Eindhoven), and completed residencies in Ukiha (Japan), Aruba, Oldenburg (Germany),
and London (UK). In 2023, her first retrospective took place at the Edith Russ Haus for Media Art (Oldenburg), followed by another in 2024 at the Leopold Hoesch Museum (Düren)
as part of the Günther Peill Stiftung two-year scholarship.
In 2025, she completed a two-year filmic research project supported by the Hartwig Art Foundation. Her works have also been shown at Kunsthal Extra City (Antwerp, 2022), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam, 2021), and EYE Filmmuseum (Amsterdam, 2020), among others.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Studies/Residencies
January 2019- June 2021
Artist in residence Rijksakademie Amsterdam
September 2009 – Juli 2013
Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam, Bachelor Fine Arts, Audiovisual - Nominated for Gerrit Rietveld Academie Fine Arts Award
Residencies
2023: Mondriaan Fonds residency Delfina Foundation London
2022/2023: Edith Russ Haus for Media Art Residency– Oldenborg (Germany)
2022: Ateliers 89 in Aruba
2017: Mondriaan Fonds residency Foreign Ateliers in Ukiha, Japan
Exhibtions
2025: “Alles Sammlung” - Leopold-Hoesh-Museum (group)
2024: “In(de)finite? - Both. Lean Back.” Retrospective show as part of the Gunther Peill Stiftung Stipendium - Leopold-Hoesh-Museum (solo)
2023-2024: “My Oma” – Kunstinstituut Melly Rotterdam (group)
2023: ‘Mechanical Manifestations’ – Edith Russ Haus for Media Art (solo)
2022: ‘Revolting Times’ – Kunsthal Extra City (solo)
2022: ‘Voorlopers / Pioneers’ – Paleis Soestdijk (group)
2022: ‘To Enclose, Deprive of Light, Hide.’– Van Abbe Museum (solo)
2021/2022: Prix de Rome – 'To Confirm That You Are Not A Robot, Place A Check In The Box Next To "I'm Not A Robot' Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (group)
2021: ‘The Restless Dread Of Some(thing) Evil’, CBK Zuidoost – Amsterdam
2021: ‘The Revolutions That Did (Not) Happen’ at museum De Pont, Tilburg (solo)
2021: Rijksakademie Open Studios (solo)
2020: ‘Then as now’ with film ‘As Things Go’ and film ‘The Restless Dread Of Some(thing) Evil’ Pictura Dordrecht (group)
2020: Screening ‘The Restless Dread Of Some(thing) Evil,’ Selected Dutch Shorts 2020 EYE Filmmuseum / acquired by the EYE Filmmuseum as part of their collection (solo)
2019 : Rijksakademie Open Studios (solo)
2018: Premiere ‘Terra Incognita’ at cinema Filmhuis Cavia in Amsterdam (solo)
2018: Retrospective of all the films I made from 2012-2018 at Filmhuis Cavia in Amsterdam (solo)
2017: Extended Cut Film & Philosophy : Screening ‘As Things Go’
(solo)
2017: Presentation film ‘Where the pink roses bloom even in November’ Kyodo House Tokyo (solo)
2017: Presentation film ‘Where the pink roses bloom even in November’ Ukiha, Japan (solo)
2016: ‘Dollhouse’ & ‘She that comes from the green forest, on a Tuesday’ / Short Cinema Expo, Atelier 014 / (group)
2016: World première ‘As Things Go’ Nederlands Film Festival
(solo)
2016: Transart Triennale / ‘She that comes from the green forest, on a Tuesday’ / (group)
2016: Tropenmuseum Good Hair Festival / Member of the panel for the lecture ‘Digging for the Hair Salon’ and screening of documentary ‘Black Roots / Zwarte Wortels’ / (group)
2016: Exhibition Prospects & Concepts / Rotterdam Art Fair / Teaser ‘As Things Go’ & Nigra sum sed formosa in spatio / group)
2015: Prospects & Concepts by Mondriaan Fonds / Rotterdam Art Fair / Short film ‘The Artist’ A filmic portrait about the artist Guy Koningstein. / (group)
2013: Castrum Peregrini / Selected Nominees & Winners Rietveld Academie ‘She that comes from the green forest, on a Tuesday ‘ Video-installation / (group)
2013: Amsterdam Art Weekend ‘She that comes from the green forest, on a Tuesday’ Performance / (solo)
2013: Impakt Festival ‘She that comes from the green forest, on a Tuesday’ Film / (group)
2013: New Orleans Film Festival ‘She that comes from the green forest, on a Tuesday’ Film / (group)
Publications / interviews
2021: Prix de Rome publication – ‘Do I want to be here?’ / ‘Wil ik hier zijn?’ by Esmee Postma
2021: Interview by Sarah van Binsbergen – ‘Endfilm’ / ‘Eindfilm’ / Volkskrant
2021: ‘Frontrunners of the artworld’ / Kopstukken uit de kunstwereld / Koos van Breukel / Parool
2021: ‘The last bottle of water on Earth’ / ‘Het laatste flesje water op aarde’ - HART Magazine
2021 : Article about solo exhibition ‘The Revolutions That Did Not Happen’ at De Pont, ‘Film full beautiful misery’/ ‘Film vol prachtige ellende’ / Brabants Dagblad
2021: Interview RTV Culture Club
2021: Review ‘The Revolutions That Did (Not) Happen’ / Volkskrant
2021: Interview Metropolis M - Eigen ruimtes Buitenaardse Ruimtes
2020: ‘Selected as one of the 101 most promising artists of The Netherlands & Belgium’ by NRC (Dutch newspaper) /
2020: ‘Kunst is lang’ podcast Mister Motley
2020: Review ‘The restless dread of some(thing) evil’ Volkskrant
2020: The restless dread of some(thing) evil’ / Metropolis M
2019: The problem that has no name /Interview Tubelight /
2019: She that comes from the green forest, on a Tuesday’ Kunstbeeld