Chus Martinez
Illustration — Martínez in 2015 Chus Martínez (born 1972) is a Spanish curator, art historian, and writer. She is currently the director of the Art Institute at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design, Basel, where she also runs the Institute’s exhibition space Der Tank. Additionally, Martínez is the artistic director of Ocean Space, Venice, a space spearheaded by TBA21–Academy that promotes ocean literacy, research, and advocacy through the arts.
Also recorded as Maria Chus Martinez
Chus Martinez

Institut Ramon Llull · rdp Singularity 8-04-15 (1) · CC BY 2.0
- Born
- Chus Martinez was born in 1972. · Ponteceso.
- Nationality
- Spain
- Occupation
- art historian · philosopher · writer · exhibition curator
- Fields
- art history
- Education
- Autonomous University of Barcelona · Bard College · Columbia University
- Languages
- Spanish · English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — Martínez in 2015 Chus Martínez (born 1972) is a Spanish curator, art historian, and writer. She is currently the director of the Art Institute at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design, Basel, where she also runs the Institute’s exhibition space Der Tank. Additionally, Martínez is the artistic director of Ocean Space, Venice, a space spearheaded by TBA21–Academy that promotes ocean literacy, research, and advocacy through the arts.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Chus Martinez (born 1972) is a Spanish art historian, exhibition curator and philosopher, among other activities. The art historian was born in Ponteceso.
Chus Martinez studied at Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bard College and Columbia University. The art historian is active in art history. Languages used include English and Spanish.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 30 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Chus Martinez. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1089972
In this article
Career
Career
In 2017, Martínez was curator of KölnSkulptur #9. She sits on the advisory boards of numerous international art institutions, including Castello di Rivoli, Turin; De Appel, Amsterdam; Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin; and Museum der Moderne, Salzburg.
Martínez was chief curator at El Museo del Barrio, New York, from 2012–2014. Prior to that she was the head of the department of artistic direction and a member of the core agent group for DOCUMENTA(13), for which she edited, with Bettina Funcke, the series “100 Notes–100 Thoughts.” Formerly, as chief curator at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) (2008–2010), director of the Frankfurter Kunstverein (2005–2008), and artistic director at Sala Rekalde, in Bilbao (2002–2005), Martínez has organized numerous exhibitions and publications with contemporary artists. In 2005, she commissioned the Cyprus Pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennale, with artists Panayiotis Michael and Konstantia Sofokleous, and in 2015, Martínez curated the Catalan proposal to the 56th Venice Biennale, with artist Albert Serra. Martínez has also served as curatorial advisor for the 2015 Istanbul Biennial, the 29th São Paulo Art Biennial in 2010, and for the 2008 Carnegie International.
Education
Education
Martínez studied art history and philosophy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, continuing her studies at the University of Tübingen and at the Free University of Berlin. In 1995, she worked at the Hamburger Bahnhof, in Berlin. Following this, she attended Columbia University and the Center for Curatorial Studies, at Bard College, New York, where she completed her masters.
Sala Rekalde
Sala Rekalde
• 2004: David Lamelas, "Space/Time/Fiction" • 2005: "The Invisible Insurrection of a Million Minds: Twenty Proposals for Imagining the Future" with Lars Bang Larsen and Carles Guerra • 2005: Sharon Lockhart, "Pine Flat"
Frankfurter Kunstverein
Frankfurter Kunstverein
• 2006: "Ist das Leben nicht schön? Chapter 1: Esra Ersen" • 2006: "Ist das Leben nicht schön? Chapter 2: Wilhelm Sasnal" • 2007: "Pensée Sauvage? On Freedom" • 2008: "The Great Game to Come" • 2008: "Ibon Aranberri: Disorder"
Reina Sofia
Reina Sofia
• 2008: Deimantas Narkevičius, "The Unanimous Life"
MACBA
MACBA
• 2009: Thomas Bayrle, "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" • 2009: "The Malady of Writing: A Project on Text and Speculative Imagination" • 2009: "Ray Johnson: PLEASE ADD TO & RETURN" • 2010: "Are you ready for TV?" • 2011: The Otolith Group, "Thoughtform" • 2011: Natascha Sadr Haghighian, "Before/After"
Malba
Malba
• 2015: "The Metabolic Age"
Kunsthaus Hamburg
Kunsthaus Hamburg
• 2016: "Undisturbed Solitude"
Kunsthalle Basel
Kunsthalle Basel
• 2016: "Every Contact Leaves a Trace" (presented concurrently at Kasko Basel)
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
• 2018: "John Akomfrah: Purple" • 2019: "Amar Kanwar"
Der TANK
Der TANK
• 2015: "Fabian Marti: G.I.F.T." • 2016: Julieta Aranda, "The Organ: As the Ground Becomes Exposed" • 2018: "Eduardo Navarro: Into Ourselves"
Writing
Writing
• The Octopus in Love • The Complex Answer • I Want to Be Your Lover, Not Just Be Your Friend: Learning to Escape the Politics of Prediction • The Wild Book of Inventions (forthcoming, Sternberg Press)
Identity
Identity
Chus Martinez is recorded with the occupation exhibition curator. Recorded as art historian, philosopher, writer and exhibition curator.

rdp Singularity 8-04-15 (8)
Institut Ramon Llull · rdp Singularity 8-04-15 (8)

rdp Singularity 8-04-15 (6)
Institut Ramon Llull · rdp Singularity 8-04-15 (6)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1972
Chus Martinez was born on 1 January 1972.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Chus Martinez was born at Ponteceso.
Birthplace
Ponteceso.
Birth place
Chus Martinez was born in Ponteceso.
Birthplace
Other activities
• Flash Art, Member of the Advisory Board
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hoffmann, Annette. "Ich will Talente ermutigen". Basler Zeitung.
- 2.TBA21–Academy, The Current II: Phenomenal Ocean - Announcements - e-flux. www.e-flux.com.
- 3.Sculpture Park Cologne Names Chus Martínez Curator of "KölnSkulptur #9". artforum.com.
- 4.Cascone, Sarah. Chus Martínez to Resign from El Museo Del Barrio. Art in America.
- 5.Lugo, El Progreso de. Una gallega entre los gurús del arte actual. El Progreso de Lugo. 2010-10-23.
- 6.e-fux. Chus Martínez appointed Head of the Institute of Art at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel. e-flux.
- 7.Sala Rekalde. David Lamelas, "Space/Time/Fiction". November 2019.
- 8.Sala Rekalde. "The Invisible Insurrection of a Million Minds".
- 9.Sala Rekalde. Sharon Lockhart, "Pine Flat".
- 10.Frankfurter Kunstverein. "Ist das Leben nicht schön? Chapter 1: Esra Ersen". July 2020.
- 11.Frankfurter Kunstverein. "Ist das Leben nicht schön? Chapter 2: Wilhelm Sasnal". July 2020.
- 12.Frankfurter Kunstverein. "Pensée Sauvage? On Freedom". July 2020.
- 13.Frankfurter Kunstverein. "The Great Game to Come". July 2020.
- 14.Ibon Aranberri. Disorder.
- 15.Reina Sofia. Deimantas Narkevičius, "The Unanimous Life".
- 16.MACBA. Thomas Bayrle, "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore".
- 17.MACBA. "The Malady of Writing: A Project on Text and Speculative Imagination".
- 18.MACBA. "Are you ready for TV?".
- 19.MACBA. The Otolith Group, "Thoughtform".
- 20.Malba. "The Metabolic Age".
- 21.Kunsthaus Hamburg. "The Metabolic Age".
- 22.Kunsthaus Basel. "Every Contact Leaves a Trace". Kunsthalle Basel.
- 23.Exposición - Purple, by John Akomfrah. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza.
- 24.Amar Kanwar. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza.
- 25.der TANK – Fabian Marti. der TANK.
- 26.Julieta Aranda: The Organ: As the Ground Becomes Exposed - Announcements - e-flux. www.e-flux.com.
- 27.der TANK – Eduardo Navarro. der TANK.
- 28.e-flux. The Octopus in Love. e-flux Journal.
- 29.Berlin Biennale. The Complex Answer.
- 30.Mousse. I Want to Be Your Lover, Not Just Be Your Friend: Learning to Escape the Politics of Prediction.
- 31.Advisory Board Flash Art.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
General reference
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Her recorded languages were Spanish and English. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Identity and origins
Within the Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,661 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Chum MeyAuthor
- Chung Jin-kyuAuthor
- ChunseongAuthor
- Churchill BabingtonAuthor
- Chus PatoAuthor
- Chūya NakaharaAuthor
- Ciaran BerryAuthor
- Ciaran CarsonAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Chus Martinez?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.