SHANTELL MARTIN: P3STUDIO
Press Release
SHANTELL MARTIN
RECORD & PLAY
#AreYouYou
September 17 – October 11, 2015
Hours: Wednesday & Thursday | 5 – 10PM; Friday – Sunday | 6 – 11PM
P3Studio
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in partnership with Art Production Fund, is pleased to announce P3Studio artist-in-residence Shantell Martin. Known for her engaging black and white visual narratives, Martin draws on conversations, objects and places to create an atmosphere that is part autobiographical and part dreamlike whimsy. During her residency project titled “Record & Play,” Martin will use P3Studio as a lab where guests can come to share their story and listen to the stories of others.
Martin will divide P3Studio into two key areas. One will be dedicated to the idea of “Record.” Here, guests may contribute their own “who are you” story by bringing and leaving behind items that represent them, such as found or unwanted keys, a lock of hair, location of birth, fingerprints or “something very YOU.” Guests may also choose to sit down with Martin to be interviewed and have their portrait drawn. Lastly, guests can record themselves in the “Who Are You” booth speaking about just that—who they are.
In the area of P3Studio dedicated to “Play,” guests can view the curiosities and stories of others. Here, there will be a “You Are You” booth where guests can enter to watch and listen to the autobiographies of previous guests. Through these stream of consciousness recordings, we are reminded of the inherent difficulty in truly being yourself when the world is so often telling you to be someone else.
Shantell Martin is a New York-based artist whose simple trademark of black ink and white surfaces creates a language of characters, creatures and messages that invite her viewers to share a role in her creative process. Her artwork bridges fine art, commercial and the everyday experience with illustrations that transform everything from walls, found objects, ceramics, luxury goods, sneakers and even faces into striking graphic tales. Martin exhibited at a solo show at the MoCADA Museum in New York City and has created installations and live digital drawings at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, the Museum of the Moving Image and the Museum of Modern Art. She is also an adjunct professor and fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. Her custom installations in the U.S. and abroad have drawn much fanfare and acclaim—her hand-illustrated bedroom walls were featured on the cover of the New York Times home section and she was named by French Glamour as New York’s “Coolest It Girl” in 2011.
The P3Studio artist-in-residence program at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas represents one component of its larger art program, in which artists create projects that are interactive and participatory, giving guests the opportunity to connect at an authentic and personal level. Developed and curated in partnership with Art Production Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to producing ambitious public art projects, it strives to reach new audiences and expand awareness through contemporary art.
