1. Pia Camil

2. About her work
A lot of the artists work focuses on contemporary consumerist culture
It tends to be quite minimalist work, and focus more on the relationship between the inanimate objects in the room to their spatial set ups
She leaves the spectator to make their own interpretation of her work
Symbolism is key to the artists work
the Mexican urban architecture also features a lot in her
work as well as the post- industrial ruins which she grew
up in and continues to work and live
It is also argued that there are certain under routed
feminist themes in her work

3. Artist Influences
there is little known on who Camil was actually inspired by, but it is clear that she was more inspired by her surroundings
The minimalist sculptural pieces were inspired by the ruins of her city, her environment, as shown here-
Her other pieces like the cloth shewn together were more inspired by her more cultural influences that she grew up with, but now may be considered redundant
The idea with both these kinds of pieces is the failure of consumerism.
She makes these very time consuming and hard labouring pieces, as a reflection of the mass produced consumerist goods that a lot of people don’t even think twice buying

4. Earlier life Camil was born in Mexico city during the 1980’s
She attended Rhode Island School of Design where she received her BA in Fine Arts in 2003
The artist then received her Masters from The Slade School of Fine Art in 2008 which is based in london
This is before returning to Mexico city to continue her work

5. Mexico city
Mexico city is the capital of Mexico, and the city that Camil grew up in
It is home to some of the most beautiful examples of urban cultures including the house of architect Carlos Herrera
In 1985, the city experienced a huge earthquake which left a lot of the ruins that Camil uses as an inspiration for her art.
The city is also one of the most important financial districts in
America, which is a reason why there is such a huge
consumerist culture there, another thing that gave Camil’s
work influence
It is the largest Spanish speaking city in the world, and is very
cultural. This Mexican cultural aspect of the city, including its
crafts making highly influenced camils work. In a city which
includes such beautiful things, including clothing and
architecture, all the people care about is the mass produced
items which creates such a large consumerist environment

6. Urban Architecture
Urban architecture is the name given to structures that are built in modern day, city environments
They are generally minimalist structures which are considered beautiful to look at, although I don’t necessarily agree
Mexico city has a number of these structures, including the one to the left and they are all based relatively close to each other
The structures in Mexico city tend to be built on the surrounding natural aspects of the environment, but also on top of/around much older structures that were there before, the ruins of the area

7. Rhode Island School of Design
This School is located in Rhode Island where it is known as one of the best art and design universities in the states
It has a current acceptance rate of 27.3%,
The school opened in 1877, and is on an ‘urban’ campus which is important seeing as a lot of Camil’s work focuses on these kinds of structures and environments
The state is located between New York and Boston, which are both quite
arty states. This would give a good environment for the artist to work in,
more so than in her home town of Mexico City

8. The Slade School of Fine Art
Founded in 1871
Located in central London, another campus that is surrounded by urban architecture as inspiration to Camil
It is a university that is constantly being ranked as one of, if not the top university for art and design in the UK
Seeing as both the universities that Camil attended where top ranking, there must’ve been something in her art that she was succeeding at

9. Consumerist Culture
Consumerist culture is something that is defined as “a social and economic order and ideology encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.”
It is the idea of people buying things that they don’t need
Arguably this is particularly relevant in the art world
pieces of art are objects that people don’t need, but admire and still purchase
The failure of consumerism is presented was particularly relevant during the period when camil was growing up. It was during a time when people stopped buying things and focused on less material objects
Of course, during the modern times, consumerist culture is bigger than ever, and this is shown within the artists work, which is so simple, yet people will still buy it because its got a name on it, or because they like the aesthetics of it, not because it is needed

10. Exhibitions and awards
European Honors Program, Palazzo Cenci, Rome- 2001
Nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Award, London- 2008
Exhibitions include,
“Pensando en Ti (Thinking of You)”, site specific intervention, Mexico City solo show
Entrecortinas: abre, jala, corre, Galería OMR, Mexico City solo show
“United States of Latin America” at the Muesum of Contemporary Art in Detroit
Upcoming- “Skins” Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, November 6, 2015, a Solo show
Upcoming- New Museum, NYC, January 2016, a Solo show, Lobby Gallery

11. European Honors Program
This is a program that is offered by the Rhode Island School of Design which allows students to study in Rome for half a year, specifically in Palazzo Cenci
the area is quite central to Rome and within walking distance of the Vatican, featuring some amazing architectural structures, including the colosseum
The course focuses on these architecture monuments as study for the students work
It could definitely be argued, that without this program, as well as studying in the area of Rhode island, that Camil’s work might not have end up the way it has. She was surrounded by such amazing structures, as well as the fallen ruins of her home town, throughout her education. This is a time when she was establishing her work, and it may have taken a different course without this program

12. Museum of Contemporary Art
Whilst the image on this slide is not Camil’s work, it does give you an idea of the spatial environment the artist likes to work in
The space is very minimal which allows artists to either keep the space in a minimal environment, or do a lot for their work
Camil’s work is all about the relationship between objects in a room, so it is clear why this is an idyllic space for her.
The work she presented here were cloth hangings, something so bright and beautiful on their own that they didn’t need a loud backdrop.
The space also have amazing lighting for artists work, which can definitely make or break a piece

13. Group work/exhibitions
in 2009 Camil formed a performance based artist group called ‘El Resplandor’
The members in the group were Camil, and two musicians named Esteban and Anajosé Aldrete
Whilst the group wasn’t around for very long, the pieces that they performed were quite a good reflection of Camil’s work.
It is clear to see both her cloth work and sculptural work in these performance pieces with the group
The work produced with the group includes loud trance music, to create a more scenic experience for the audience
Like the artists solo work, the performances were site specific and changed based on the spatial environment of the exhibition space
The work also intends to create a sort of ritualistic environment for audience, arguably similar to some Mexican traditions

14. Fragmento 5
A piece of work from one of her larger shows that focused on the spatial aspect of the environment she presented them, this is a key piece of work that really sums up what her work is about
The minimalist piece is based on the fallen ruins of Mexico city, and the idea of a failed consumerist culture
Its sort of presenting the idea that this is something so simple, yet people will still buy it, like most art, its not something that is needed, its just a piece of clay really, but because its got a label, its made to seem so much more important
Its design reflects the type of rubble that could be found around Mexico city amongst the urban space in a more controlled form which was a huge influence to all the artists work
2014, Enameled Low temperature ceramic
65.4 x 21 x 14.6 cm

15. I hope you enjoyed this presentation!
Thanks for Listening!