Miguel Sbastida

Miguel Sbastida (Espagne, 1989) is a visual artist working across sculpture, video installation and site-specific performance, in an investigation around the intersections of geologic time, cultural ecologies and climate breakdown. In his works, he investigates the geo-poetics of matter and environmental processes through ontological, scientific, eco-critic, and post-humanist perspectives. His process is highly conceptual and understands art making as an entry point for epistemological analysis and social transformation. Through an exercise of interrogating the traditional boundaries between the lively and the inert, the human and the non-human, the biologic and the geologic. His works strive to establish new perspectives towards a sense of belonging, agency, cross-contamination and exchange in our relationship with the Earth Organism.
 

Sbastida graduated from an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2015-17), with the full support of a scholarship from La Caixa Foundation; where he was nominated for the Dedalus Foundation awards in Sculpture. He completed a BFA at Universidad Complutense of Madrid (2007-12) after his fellow BFA studies in Holland (2011) and Canada (2012).


Miguel is based in Madrid where he continues to develop new projects.


Education
2015 – 17. Master of Fine Arts in Studio. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA. Sculpture Department.

2011 – 12. BFA studies at The University of Ottawa, Canada.
2010 – 11. BFA studies at the Academie Minerva of Groningen, Netherlands.

2007 – 12. Bachelor of Fine Arts. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.

Scholarships
2015 – 17. Obra Social La Caixa Foundation. Full Graduate Research Fellowship for MFA studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
2012 Fundación Banco Santander. UCM International Agreements Scholarship for BFA studies in Canada.
2010 – 11. UCM Fellowship for BFA studies in The Netherlands.

Solo Exhibitions
2021 Art on Paper. BOZAR, Centre for Fine Arts. LMNO Gallery. Belgium.
2020 In Front of Our Eyes. National Prize Art Nalon /Premio Nacional Art Nalón. Pinacoteca de Langreo Eduardo Úrculo. Asturias, Spain.
2020 Arqueologías Climáticas. Galería Álvaro Alcázar. Madrid, Spain.
2018 Site-Specific Works. Vegas del Horno. Gredos. Spain
2015 Find Your Stone. CEART. Tomás y Valiente Art Center. Fuenlabrada, Spain.
2014 Lluvia. Espacio Hábitat. Madrid, Spain.
2012 Collecting Rain. Gardens of the Superior Engineering Forestry School, UPM, Madrid, Spain.
2011 Atmósfera. Gallerie Minerva, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Group Exhibitions (selection)

2022
ARCOMadrid'22. LMNO Gallery. Spain

Drawing Now'22. LMNO Gallery. Paris, France.

Limited Edition Art Fair (LEAF) booth, LMNO, Boghossian Foundation, The Villa Empain, Brussels Belgium

Hybrid Art Faire 2022 by Victorino Rosón. Madrid, Espagne

2021
Fabular un Mundo Diferente. Centro Cultural España. Lima, Perú. Curated by Blanca de la Torre. (Access virtual environment here)
Maritima01. Es Baluard Museum. Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Curated by Elena Posokhova.
Agents of Change. LMNO Gallery. Brussels, Belgium.
Caminar, Orbitar, Levitar. La Imaginable. Nadie Nunca Nada No. Madrid. Spain.
Six feet of Connection. Back to Our Roots. Ojai Arts Commission/Building Bridges Art Exchange, Los Angeles, USA. Curated by Marisa Caichiolo.
Spoleto 64th Festival dei DueMondi. Windows. Chiostro di San Nicoló. Spoleto, Italy. Curated by Teodora di Robilant.
Limited Edition Art Fair. Boghossian Foundation. LMNO Gallery. Brussels, Belgium

2020
Biophilia. Asia Culture Center. ACC. Gwangju, South Korea. (Open until March 1st, 2021)
ARCO 20 Madrid. Galeria Alvaro Alcazar. Madrid, Spain.
Depictions of Living. Art in Time of Climate Crisis. Curated by Samuel Ivan Roberts and Roshanak Khakban. The Art Pavillion, Mile End. London, United Kingdom.
Librarte. Feria del Libro de Artista de Castilla y Leon. Burgos, Spain.

2019
Tierra. Cielos Abiertos. Arte y procesos extractivos de la Tierra. CDAN Museum. Center For Art & Nature. Curated by Juan Guardiola and Maria Luisa Grau. Huesca, Spain.
Vital Signs, Twisted Oyster. IONION Center for the Arts and Culture. Kefalonia, Greece. Curated by Pia Cruzalegui.
3Piedras. 3 Piedras Foundation, Huesca.
ARCO19 Madrid. Galeria Alvaro Alcazar. Madrid, Spain.*
Beyond Walk Like a Glacier. CEART. Tomás y Valiente Art Center. Fuenlabrada, Madrid.

2018
Vital Signs, Twisted Oyster. Zhou B Art Center. Curated by Pia Cruzalegui. Chicago, USA.
Circuitos de Artes Pasticas XXVIII . Laboral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial. Gijón, Spain.
Around/Here. Astra, Spoleto. Italy.
Open. BilbaoArte Foundation. Bilbao. Spain.*
ARCO 18. Galería Álvaro Alcázar. Madrid, Spain.*
Circuitos XXVIII. Sala Borrón. Curated by Carlos Delgado. Oviedo, Spain.
Madrid Open Studio V. Spain.
Una Colectiva. Galeria Alvaro Alcazar. Madrid, Spain.*

2017
XXVIII Circuitos de Artes Plásticas Comunidad de Madrid. Sala Arte Joven. Madrid, Spain.*
XVII Contemporary Art Encounters / Encuentros de Arte Contemporáneo. MUA. Museum of the University of Alicante, Spain. Curated by Irene Ballester Buigues.*
MFA Show. Sullivan Galleries. Curated by Julie Rodrigues Widholm. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA.
Devenir Mundo. URG3L. Curated by La Colmena. Madrid, Spain.
Lively Forests / La foresta animada. Galería Álvaro Alcázar. Madrid, Spain.*
Post / Natural. The Joan Flasch Artists? Book Collection. School of the Art Institute of Chicago. USA. Curated by Kayla Anderson. *
Biographies of a thing. Hyde Park Art Center. Chicago, USA. Curated by Lan Tuazon.
JustMad ArtFair. La Colmena. COAM, Madrid, Spain.*

2016
Transmorphed Realities: the abdication of the visual realm. Korea Foundation Gallery. Seoul, South Korea. Curated by Iury Lech. *
EXPO CHICAGO. Galería Álvaro Alcázar. Chicago, USA.*
Paratissima Lisboa. Santa Maria Maior, Lisbon, Portugal.
La Colmena II. Espacio URG3L. Madrid, Spain.
Emerging Illinois Artists Triennial. MCAC Brandt Gallery. Curated by Kelly Shindler. Bloomington IL, United States.
Too dark for a light show. Tom Robinson Gallery. Chicago, United States.

2015
De-construcciones. Espacio Hábitat. Madrid, Spain.

2014
Espora | Masquelibros. CaixaForum. Madrid, Spain.
Trisomía en el Uno Tres Cinco. Espacio Hábitat. Madrid, Spain.

2013
Incubarte VI. Museum Centre el Carme, Valencia. Spain.*
Imagen a Dos. UCM. Madrid, Spain.

2012
The Collection, TAKE 5. Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of Ottawa ? IFCO Film Art Centre. Ottawa, Canada.
MilesKm. Bussey Building. London, United Kingdom.
La Galerie du doyen Paradigm[e]. Ottawa, Canada.
The Falldown Gallery. Ottawa, Canada.
Photographic Herbarium. University of Ottawa. Canada.*

2011
de-CONSTRUCTIONS. Gallerie de Stomerij. Groningen, The Netherlands.
Oneminutes. Netherlands Institute for Media Art. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
*Exhibitions with published catalogues.

Grants and Awards
2021. Matadero Madrid DKV Arte y Medio Ambiente. Becas de Residencia.
2021. Becas de Residencia en el Extranjero, Artes Visuales. Comunidad de Madrid, Spain.
2019. Madrid Art Funds "Ayudas a la Creación" Madrid. Spain.
2019. Art Nalón National Prize. Certamen Nacional Artes Plásticas Art Nalón. Spain.
2017. Circuitos de Artes Plásticas XXVIII Grant. Comunidad de Madrid, Spain.
2017. Professional Development Award. School of the Art Institute of Chicago. USA.
2017. EAC 2017. XVII Encuentros de Arte Contemporáneo. IAC Spain.
2017. EDES Foundation Sculpture Nominee. School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
2016. Dedalus Foundation Sculpture nominee. School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
2016. La Colmena. II Artist Program. Spain
2016. Emerging Illinois Artists Triennial. USA
2013. Incubarte VI Adquisition Prize. The Davis Museum.
2013. Incubarte VI Representation Prize. Artnobel.
2012. Photographic Herbarium Project Ottawa. Permanent Collection.
2012. Krabbelmuur. UCM. Acciones Complementarias.
2011. One Minutes Film Festival Art Amsterdam. 1st prize.

Art Residency programs
2021. Matadero Madrid – DKV, Artist in Residency.
2021. Bois de Fa/LMNO.
2021. Boghossian Foundation. Brussels, Belgium
2020. Karstica. La Neomudejar ? Arthouse Spain. Cuenca, Spain.
2019. Asia Culture Center, South Korea. International Art Residency Grant.
2019. 3Piedras Foundation. Art&Environment Residency Grant. Huesca, Spain.
2018. BilbaoArte Foundation. Art Residency Production Grant. Bilbao, Spain.
2018. ASTRA Volume I. Spoleto, Italy.
2014. MilesKM. La Rioja, Spain.

Works in Museums or Institutions
School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Joan Flasch Artist's Book Collection. USA.
Asia Culture Center. Gwangju, South Korea.
CDAN, Indoc. Centro De Arte y Naturaleza. Spain.
The Davis Museum. Spain.
The One Minutes Foundation, Amsterdam. Netherlands.
Yale University. Haas Library Special Collection. USA.
BilbaoArte Foundation. Spain.
Harvard University Fine Arts library. Artist?s Book Collection. USA.
Swarthmore College Library. Special Collection. USA.
University of Ottawa, Canada. Photographic Herbarium. Canada.
City Council of Langreo, Pinacoteca Eduardo Úrculo. Asturias, Spain.
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kohler Library Artists Book Collection. USA.
University of California San Diego. Geisel Library Special Collection. USA.
The Museum of Modern Art / Franklin Furnace / Artist Book Collection. USA.
Pratt institute / FF Artist's Book Collection. USA.

Imparted Symposia, Seminars and Conferences

2021. II International Forum. HerbArt: art and science at confluence. Roots and Seeds XXI. Universitat de Barcelona & Institut Botànic de Barcelona. Symposium.

2021. CRA-IMNA Matadero Madrid. Postnatural Environments. On Coral Reef Restoration Initiatives. Conference.

2020. Sostenibilidad (o no tanta) en la Creación Artísitica y sus Instituciones. University Complutense of Madrid. Symposium.

2020. Karstica. Laneomudejar X BuildingBridges Foundation L.A. Conference.

2019. Edible Geology. Asia Culture Center. South Korea. Conference.

2018. Technofossils of the Anthropocene. BilbaoArte Foundation. Conference.

2018. Ethics for Making in the Anthropocene. La Colmena. Seminar.

2018. Walking in Geologic Time. Cultura Comunidad de Madrid. Workshop.

2017. Truth Climate Now. Conversations on Art and Science. School of the Art Institute, Chicago. Symposium Panelist.

2016. Sculpture Dialogues. School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Conference.

2015. Intercambiador Acart, AIR program. Madrid. Spain. Visiting artist. Conference

2013. Academie Minerva of Groningen, Netherlands. Invited Artist. Conference.
.
Publications and interviews

2021. Fundación La Caixa. Arte que despierta conciencias.

2021. Ki Culture. Sustainable practices in art-making: An interview with Miguel Sbastida. 

2021. Nature as art's food for thought. Gallery Viewer. Written by Manuela Klerkx.

2021. VAST Art Magazine. Issue 2. International Visual Art and Photography Magazine.

2021. We Are Our Environment. Interview by Manuela Klekx with Miguel Sbastida for Gallery Viewer.

2020. Covid-19 & Mother Earth's day. Journal of Negative and No Positive Results. JNNPR. Co-authored by scientist Francisco J Sanchez Muniz and Miguel Sbastida.

2020. In Front of Our Eyes. Art Nalon National Prize. Catalogue essay by Blanca de la Torre.

2020. Desatados Radio3. Radio Nacional de España. Video interview.

2020. Slow Violence. Artist Book.

2019. 16/19. Asia Culture Center Korea.
2018. Antennae. The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture. Issue #43.

2018. Emergency INDEX. Annual Document of Performance Practice. Volume 7.

2018. Technofossils of the Anthropocene. Bilbaoarte.

2018. Artnobel Contemporary Art Magazine Review. Issue 12.
2018. The Blue Notebook Journal. Issue 12, no. II. University of West England, Bristol.

2018. School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Sculpture Catalogue 2017-18.

2018. ARCO en Atmosfera. Radio3, RNE. Atmósfera. Radio interview.

2017. Walk Like a Glacier Book. Chicago, USA.

2016. Artnobel Contemporary Art Magazine Review. Issue 6.

2013. Fluido Rosa. Radio3, RNE. Incubarte VI. Radio Interview.
 
Bibliography

Wynants Jean-Marie, "Les marées hautes de Miguel Sbastida", Le Soir, Brusselles, 2022

In Front of Our Eyes. Art Nalón National Prize. Catalogue essay by Blanca de la Torre. 2020.

Tierra. Cielos Abiertos. Arte y Procesos Extractivos. CDAN Museum. Huesca, Spain. Catalogue essay by Juan Guardiola. 2019.

BilbaoArte Open. BilbaoArte Foundation. Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. 2018.

XXVIII Circuitos de Artes Plásticas de la Comunidad de Madrid. Catalogue essay by Carlos Delgado Mayordomo. 2017.

XVII Encuentros de Arte Contemporáneo. EAC. Catalogue essay by Irene Ballester Buigues. 2017.
Klinkenberg Abby, "Points of returns : Art in the age of climate crisis", FairPlanet, 2022