by RUBY SMUSKOWITZ for to Be Magazine
02 June 2025
Known for his endurance work, the Cuban-born, New York-based performance artist Carlos Martiel uses his body as both a subject and material to confront issues of colonialism, racism, migration, and systemic violence. Ahead of his performances of Cuerpo and Custody at Dark Mofo this June, Martiel reflects on the physical toll of his work, the power of nudity, and how art can hold space for both personal truth and collective memory.
RUBY SMUSKOWITZ Your work is described as endurance-based, with your body used as a site of political confrontation. How do you physically, emotionally and mentally prepare for such intensely charged performances?
CARLOS MARTIEL I’ve been working as a visual artist for about two decades. The majority of my practice focuses on using performance as a weapon for social and political critique of the injustices I’ve experienced as an Afrodecendent, immigrant and diasporic queer body. I’ve focused on durational performances, and in many of these works, I’ve consciously pushed my physical and mental boundaries. Having worked this way for so many years, the first thing I must say as an artist is that I believe in what I do; otherwise, sustaining this type of work would be impossible for many years. I have some preparation rituals like physical exercises, breathing and concentration. However, I can’t always do them before a performance, and I still have to go on stage and put my body into it.
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