Maria Chávez | Latinx Abstract Artists 2021

Born in Lima, Peru; based in New York. Maria Chávez is an experimental sound artist, abstract turntablist, and DJ who has presented her work internationally in exhibitions and performances. As a turntablist, she typically works with vinyl records that are worn or otherwise damaged, thus making chance, error, and coincidence integral to her practice. Her sound installations tend to be site specific; she works with the sonic qualities of each space to create soundscapes that draw from diverse recordings, such as of audience applause or of conversations. She has also created interactive installations, such as a 2017 project at Co-Lab Projects in Austin, TX, consisting of a floor-to-ceiling string instrument performed by gallery visitors. Her recent projects, Hyper Memory Installations, are field-recordings that she assembles into multiple sonic tiers that document durations of time. She layers these “audio snapshots“ multiple times to create works that meditate on the relationship of sound, time, and space. Maria Chávez was commissioned to create sound works by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s for the Brooklyn Museum, NY; the DiMenna Center, NY; and Marfa Myths, Marfa, TX. She has exhibited work at The Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Captiva, FL; Brooklyn Museum, NY; and the Moss Arts Center, Blacksberg, VA. Chávez has performed internationally, in Christian Marclay’s Screenplay at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; the Contemporary Art Museum, Bordeaux, France; the Akademie der Künste, Vienna and Berlin; and Sonotexa, Lima, Peru. She was an artist in residence with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, the Clocktower, and Issue Project Room, all NY; and at Dia:Beacon, Beacon, NY, among others. Chávez is a recipient of numerous fellowships including those from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Umbria, Italy; the Jerome Foundation; and The New York Community Trust’s Van Lier Fellowship. In addition to her practice as a sound artist, Chávez is the author of the 2018 Of Technique: Chance Procedures on Turntable, a book published by Printed Matter, NY, on live improvisation. Her work is also discussed in such publications as Simultaneous Soloists, published by Pioneer Works Press, and Sonic Flux: Sound Art and Metaphysics, published by the University of Chicago Press. -- This video is from BRIC TV— the first 24/7 television channel created by, for, and about Brooklyn. ABOUT BRIC: We are a leading arts and media institution anchored in Downtown Brooklyn whose work spans contemporary visual and performing arts, media, and civic action. For over forty years, our institution has shaped Brooklyn’s cultural and media landscape by presenting and incubating artists, creators, students, and media makers. As a creative catalyst for our community, we ignite learning in people of all ages and centralize diverse voices that take risks and drive culture forward. BRIC is Building Brooklyn’s creative future. Watch more Brooklyn-centric content from BRIC TV: BHeard: Going In With Brian Vines: Check out more from BRIC: Connect with us: