David Lamelas facts for kids

David Lamelas was born in 1946 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a famous Argentine artist. David Lamelas is known as a pioneer of Conceptual art, which is a type of art where the idea or concept behind the artwork is more important than the finished object. In the 1960s, he was part of the exciting "avant-garde" art scene in Argentina, which means he was creating new and experimental art. He is well known for his sculptures and films. Today, Lamelas lives and works in different places, including Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, and Europe.

Education and Early Art

David Lamelas finished his studies at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1963. When he first started his career, he focused on making sculptures. He showed his art in many exhibitions in Buenos Aires.

In the 1960s, Lamelas was an important member of the Instituto Torcuatro di Tella. This group helped new and experimental art, like conceptual art, grow in Argentina. However, the government in Argentina became very strict in June 1966. The new president, Juan Carlos Onganía, used the Argentine Armed Forces to control people who disagreed with the government, especially students and young people. Artists who spoke out also faced problems. David Lamelas himself said he was arrested and jailed four times by 1968.

In 1967, Lamelas showed his art at the 9th São Paulo Biennial, a big art event. His artwork, called Dos Espacios Modificados (Two Modified Spaces), won a top award. Later that same year, his art piece Situacion de Tiempo (Time Situation) was shown in Buenos Aires.

In 1968, he moved from Argentina to London to study sculpture at Saint Martin's School of Art. Also in 1968, David Lamelas was chosen to represent Argentina at the Venice Biennial, another very important art show. His artwork there was called The Office of Information about the Vietnam War at Three Levels: The Visual Image, Text and Audio. This piece showed many of Lamelas's main ideas, such as how media works, how we communicate, how information is shared, and his thoughts on world events.

Lamelas became very interested in making films while he was studying in London. Some of his most famous films include "Film Script," "To Pour Milk Into a Glass," and "The Dictator." His films often explore ideas about time, space, watching others (surveillance), and popular culture.

Awards

David Lamelas has received several important awards for his art:

• In 1992, he won the Diploma al Mérito at the Konex Foundation Awards for his Conceptual Art.
• In 2012, he received the same award again, this time for his Video Art.
• In 1993, he was given a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fine Arts.
• In 1998, he received the DAAD Stipendium from Germany.

Selected Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

• A New Refutation of Time, 1997, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art
• David Lamelas, Extranjero, Foreigner, Étranger, Ausländer, 2005. Museo Tamayo. Mexico City
• David Lamelas, 2006, Secession, Vienna

See also

In Spanish: David Lamelas para niños