Carlos Aires
Spanish artist Carlos Aires was born in Ronda in 1974. After completing a degree in sculpture from the University of Granada in 1997, he moved to Holland and completed his postgraduate studies at the Fontys Academy (Tilburg, Holland), HISK (Antwerp, Belgium), and Ohio State University (USA), after which he returned to Spain. He currently lives and works in Madrid.
Carlos Aires is the author of a multifaceted body of work, in which he often uses everyday objects (old vinyl records, plates, banknotes or coins, among others) to form detailed compositions presented on various supports. With his research, Aires explores the human perception of reality and develops an aesthetic of ambiguity, portraying an uncomfortable truth through aesthetically elaborate and attractive images.
References to pop music are present in the objects he creates and also in various video pieces. With this process, the artist manages to captivate the viewer in an accessible way, while still exposing a disturbing and sometimes politically incorrect commentary on contemporary neo-liberal society. Aires thus addresses issues relating to individuals living on the margins of society and the psychological impact of this lifestyle.
Aires has received numerous recognitions throughout his career and has been honoured with prestigious grants and awards, including: OMI Residency (USA); 1st Andalusian Young Artists Award (Spain); Belgian Young Art Award 2005 (Belgium); Edith Fergus Gilmore Award (USA); Generation 2008 Caja Madrid (Spain); Fulbright scholarship (USA); Walter Debrock Award (Belgium); Manuel Rivera Grant (Spain); and De Pont Atelier (Netherlands).
Aires has participated in numerous group exhibitions, in galleries and institutions such as Zilberman Gallery, Miami (2023); Le Bel Ordinaire, Billère, France (2022); CAA, Madrid (2020); MACBA, Barcelona (2018); Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2018); Centrale for Contemporary Art, Brussels (2017); Centro, Madrid (2017); WhiteBox, New York (2016); and Galeria Municipal do Porto (2016). He has had solo exhibitions such as I will die... As will you, Zilberman, Istanbul (2022); Nothing New, ADN gallery, Barcelona (2020); Summertime, and the livin' is easy, SPECTA gallery, Copenhagen (2018).
His work is represented in esteemed public collections such as ARTIUM (Spain), MACBA (Spain), Fondation Francès (France), ARTER (Turkey), CAC (Spain), Maison Particulière (Belgium), Museum Biedermann (Germany), Progress Art (Saudi Arabia), Caja Madrid Collection (Spain), National Belgium Bank (Belgium), 21c Museum (USA), MAK (Austria), CAAC (Spain), Frans Masereel Centrum (Belgium), and Space Collection (Belgium).
Diogo da Cruz
