Lani Maestro (born 1957) is a Filipino-Canadian artist who divides her time between France and Canada.
Early life and education
Maestro was born in
Manila and studied at the University of the Philippines where she received a BFA.
Maestro spent her childhood in the Philippines, influencing her textile installation
Cradle at Hallwalls in Buffalo, NY.
Maestro lived in Manila until she immigrated to Canada in 1982.
She pursued an MFA at the reputedly avant-garde art school, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in Halifax.
She taught studio arts at the Nova Scotia College Of Art and Design (NSCAD University) and University of Lethbridge. From 1990 until 2000, she conducted graduate seminars in the MFA program at Concordia University.
Selected Exhibition History
Maestro's large scale installations have been mostly commissioned site specific works. In 2013 and 2014, Paysage Industriel (Foundation France), "ces Mains" and "Limen" were constructed in defunct jewellery and shoe factories in the villages of Ardeche and Moussey, France. In 2010, "L'oublie de l'air (The Forgetting of Air") was shown at the Darling Foundry, Montreal with the collaboration of American composer, Malcolm Goldstein. In the same year, "No Pain Like This Body" opened at Centre A International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Vancouver, Canada. Expanded versions of the installation/exhibition were shown at Plug In, Winnipeg (2011) and mo_space, Manila (2015). In 2006, Susan Gibson-Garvey curated "sing mother (twilight eats you)" at Dalhousie Art Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
In 2005, "je suis toi." (i am you.) opened at Eglise Saint Nicolas for the Centre d'art contemporaine de Base Normandie, Caen. Earlier solo exhibitions with the art centre included "Paramita" in the exhibition, "Ohrenlust", 1997.
In the nineties, Maestro's work was featured for the exhibition, "Perspectives", at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Selected Group Exhibition
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Shrines (2023), Silverlens, New York, USA
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The Spectre Of Comparison (2019), Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) Manila, Manila, Philippines
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Points of Ellipsis... (2011), Osage Gallery, Hong Kong
Participation in International Biennales
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Singapore Biennale (2019)
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Maestro represented the Philippines at the Venice Biennale with artist Manuel Ocampo (2017)
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Busan Biennale, Busan, Korea (2004)
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Shanghai Biennial, Shanghai, China (2001)
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The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia (1999)
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The 11th Biennale of Sydney (1998)
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The Fifth Istanbul Biennial (1997)
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The Segunda and the Quinta Bienal dela Habana
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The Canadian Biennial of Contemporary Art
Awards
Among her many awards is the Segunda Bienal de la Habana in Cuba in 1985, the
Hnatyshyn Award for artistic excellence and outstanding achievement by a Canadian artist in the visual arts in 2012.
In 2018, she received an Honorary Doctorate
Honoris Causa from
NSCAD University in
Canada.
Publications
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Lani Maestro: Sing Mother (twilight eats you) by Susan Gibson Garvey (2007) Dalhousie Art Gallery
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je suis toi by Catherine Grout (2006) Wharf, Centre d'art contemporain de Basse-Normandie
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Lani Maestro "her rain by Erin Moure (2011) Centre A/ Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art (Winnipeg).
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Lani Maestro: Chambres de quiétude/ Quiet Rooms by Rene Baert (2001) Gallerie De L'UQAM
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Paramita by Masashi Ogura (2001) Centre d'Art Contemporain de Basse-Normandie (Hérouville St-Clair, France)
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Cradle/Ugoy: Lani Maestro by Carolyn Forchê, Rina Carvajal, Stephen Horne (1996)
