Esther Ferrer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Esther Ferrer
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| Born | 1937 (age 87–88) San Sebastián, Spain
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| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Spouse(s) | Tom Johnson |
Esther Ferrer was born on December 19, 1937, in San Sebastián, Spain. She is a famous Spanish artist known for her performance art. Performance art is when an artist uses their body and actions as the artwork itself. Esther Ferrer has won many important awards for her art. These include Spain's National Award for Plastic Arts in 1999. She also received the Marie-Claire Prize for Contemporary Art in France and the Velázquez Plastic Arts Prize.
Becoming an Artist
Esther Ferrer started her artistic journey in 1966. She joined a Spanish performance art group called Zaj. Other members included Walter Marchetti and Juan Hidalgo Codorniu. Zaj was known for its very new and bold performances. Their "concerts" were sometimes seen as controversial. Yet, they were still shown in Spain. This happened even during a time of strict government control.
The Zaj group performed for 30 years. They traveled to many countries. In 1996, the group ended. This was after a special art show. The show was held at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.
Her Art Around the World
As a performance artist, Esther Ferrer has traveled widely. She has performed at festivals in many places. These include Canada, Korea, the United States, and Japan. She has also performed across Europe. This includes countries like France, Italy, and Germany.
Her art is not just performances. She also creates other types of art. These include:
- Objects
- Photos
- Video pieces
- Visual systems based on numbers
- A large collection of self-portraits
Esther Ferrer has also created two radio shows. These were made for Radio Nacional de España. She has also taught about performance art. She has given classes at universities. She has also taught at Fine Arts Schools. These teaching experiences took place in Spain, France, Italy, and Mexico.
Exhibitions and Awards
Esther Ferrer represented Spain in a big art show. This was the Venice Biennale in 1999. After that, she had many large solo shows. These were held in places like FRAC Bretagne in France. She also had shows with the Instituto Cervantes. These shows were in several cities in South America.
Her artwork was part of a special exhibition in 2021. This show was called Women in Abstraction. It was held at the Centre Pompidou in France. In 2022, she had another big art show. This was a solo exhibit at Opelvillen Rüsselsheim. This show was part of Spain being a special guest. It was for the 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair.
In September 2022, Esther Ferrer received another honor. She won the Prix international de Littérature Bernard Heidsieck Prix d'honneur. This award was given by Centre Pompidou and Archivio Conz.
She was married to the composer Tom Johnson. He created minimalist music.
