Martim Brion (Lisbon, 1986) – CV
Martim Brion is a Portuguese visual artist whose work forms a distinct part of the contemporary art landscape. He emerged from a deeply artistic heritage, as the grandson and son of established cultural figures: António Areal, Sofia Areal, and Rui Sanches. His early life was intrinsically linked to the creative environment, shaping his multidisciplinary approach.
His artistic philosophy centers on the rigorous processing of life’s complexities. In his own words, “My artwork is a visual expression of my thoughts. What I filter as a person, as an artist, into myself from the outside is then reflected on and shattered, amalgamated, copied, repeated, and so on, and after this process is complete, I create my artwork. These artworks depict the entire process and, in the end, embody the ideas that stem from my empirical wanderings into the flesh and the mind.”
Brion’s work is presented primarily through photography, sculpture, and drawings. He often pushes his pieces to exist “in between the boundaries of these disciplines, straddling more than one at a time.”This ‘in-betweenness,'” he notes, is what he finds most interesting, reflecting his belief that “nothing is pure; all is meshed, continuous, and integrated.'” This approach informs his distinctive style, which possesses a conceptual and minimalist streak, often focusing on the representation of light in his photography and the geometrical structure of his sculptures.
His diverse academic background, which included International Relations and Political Science before his formal art studies at institutions like the Royal College of Arts, fuels his critical and intellectual engagement. Brion’s work has been recognized with awards and is included in major collections (see below).
In recent years, Brion has extended his practice into the realm of curating, a role that allows him to engage with art on a critical, contextual level. This progression stems from a deep interest in fostering dialogue and shaping the conversation around creative output. He has notably curated several exhibitions that highlight his family’s artistic legacy, such as “Areal3 – Três Gerações de Cor” and “Visual Dialogues,” demonstrating a commitment to creating meaningful, structured presentations of art. Furthermore, his efforts to promote dialogue led him to launch “The Filter – Art Pathways,” a podcast where he interviews a broad range of art-world personalities. Through both his objects and his organizational work, Brion continuously explores the complex relationship between the artwork, its context, and society.
Institutional Collections (selection):
Museum für Konkrete Kunst
Museu da Guarda
Biblioteca Nacional Portuguesa
Centro Cultural Raiano
MUDAS. Contemporary Art Museum of Madeira
Figueiredo Ribeiro Collection
Centro de Artes e Cultura de Ponte de Sor
Leiria Municipal Collection
Carlos Reis Museum
Lagos Cultural Centre Collection
Fundação Dom Luís I
CV
Education
2017 Royal College of Arts, UK – Semester Course
2011 Sotheby’s Institute of Art, UK – Art and Business Course
2010 IE Business School, Spain – Master’s in International Management
2008 De Montfort University, UK – International Relations and Politics
Solo Exhibitions
2025
A Fuga do Tempo, Aveiro University, curated by Alexandre Baptista, Aveiro, Portugal.
Visual Manouvers, Dom Concept Space, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Constructing the Visible – Martim Brion and Günther Förg, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg, Germany.
2024
Reflexivity, Guarda Museum, Guarda, Portugal.
2023
Regulative Idea, Portuguese Cultural Centre, Luxembourg.
Production (re) production, Galeria Nave, Lisbon, Portugal.
2022
What is to be done?, Museu de Arqueologia e Arte de Abrantes, curated by João Silvério, Abrantes, Portugal.
Matter informs Form, Language informs thought, Galeria Nave, Lisbon, Portugal.
Point Counter Point, Galeria do Parque, curated by João Pinharanda, Vila-Nova-da-Barquinha, Portugal.
2021
Res Extensa, Centro Cultural Raiano, Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal.
2020
Intersection Points, Galeria Sá da Costa, Lisbon, Portugal.
Repetitions – Incremental Changes, MUDAS. Contemporary Art Museum of Madeira, Madeira, Portugal.
2019
Chapel– Altar – Window – a landscape with the colours of the sea, Travessa da Ermida, Lisbon, Portugal.
2018
Kontrapunkt, Kunstraum Botschaft, Berlin, Germany.
2017
Vanishing Points, Natural History and Science Museum, Lisbon, Portugal.
2016
Objecto Mar, Clube Naval do Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
2015
Object Opinion, L’H Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal.
2014
A Precise Sense of Form, Artistas Unidos, Teatro da Politécnica, Lisbon, Portugal.
Group Exhibitions
2025
Strom Zähler 12, Mermaid’s Waschsalon, curated by Sebastian Lechner, Munich, Germany.
…and going on – the drj 100th, dr. Julius art projects, Berlin, Germany.
Cycles of Reality, Kunstquartier Bethanien, curated by Martim Brion, Berlin, Germany
Areal3 – Nothing with without purpose, Cascais Cultural Centre, curated by Martim Brion, Cascais, Portugal
Mausgrau, Lycra Raum, curated by Daniel Hörner, Hamburg, Germany.
Charity exhibition and auction, Quinta Essência, Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes (SNBA), Lisbon, Portugal
2024
Re-Vision, Kunstverein Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany.
Blickfeld – The inevitability of the self, Galerie Etage, Museum Reinickendorf, curated by Dr Ziegenrücker Berlin, Germany.
24! Fragen an die Konkrete Gegenwart, Museum Für Konkrete Künst and Museum Kulturspeicher Würzburg, curated by Mathias Listl, Ingolstadt and Würzburg, Germany.
Areal3 – Três gerações de cor, Centro Cultural de Lagos, curated by Martim Brion, Lagos, Portugal.
Gridlines, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, curated by Martim Brion, Berlin, Germany.
2023
Relax, Galerie der Künstler, BKK, Munique, Alemanha.
Capiti Art Mind 7th Edition, benefit exhibition, Electricity Museum, Lisbon, Portugal.
Über Das Was Es Ist, Raum Für Gäste, Aachen, Germany.
Wanderlust, Artes – Mota Galiza, Porto, Portugal.
Colecções Partilhadas, MUDAS Museum, Madeira, Portugal.
2022
24 Multiples 24 Artists, Raum Für Gäste, Aachen, Germany.
0/1 O Zero e o Um, MUHNAC Museum, curated by Sofia Marçal, Lisbon, Portugal.
Form Sache, with Thorben Eggers, Lycra Raum, Hamburg, Germany.
Linie Fläche Raum, Alten Gefängnis Freising, Freising, Germany.
Nachtsicht, Schafhof Municipal Gallery, curated by Eike Berg, Freising, Germany.
Form Constriction, Oqbo, curated by Martim Brion, Berlin, Germany.
2020
Uncertain Matter, Lagos Cultural Centre, Lagos, Portugal.
Incremental Abstractions, Kunstverein Tiergarten, curated by Martim Brion Berlin, Germany.
2019
Área de Diálogo, Municipal Gallery Banco de Portugal, curated by Martim Brion, Leiria, Portugal.
Areal3 – Uma exposição de António, Sofia e Martim Areal, Carlos Reis Museum – Praça do Peixe, curated by Martim Brion, Torres Novas, Portugal.
2018
Boese, Brion e Tecedeiro, Ponte de Sor Cultural Centre, Ponte de Sor, Portugal.
Apropriação, Memória e Desejo, Leiria Cultural Centre, Leiria, Portugal.
2017
Apropriação, Memória e Desejo, Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, Lisbon, Portugal.
Fine Art Residency finalists show, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom.
XIX Bienal Internacional de Arte de Cerveira, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal.
2016
Aqui, with Ado & Comenius, curated by Andreas Blättler, Rua Madalena Project, Lisbon, Portugal.
Colectiva, Pedro Calapez, Sofia Areal, José de Guimarães, among others, Galeria Vera Cruz, Aveiro, Portugal.
Arte de Bolso, Galeria Sete, Coimbra, Portugal.
Arte Hoje Premiados, Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, Lisbon, Portugal
2015
Colectiva, Pedro Calapez, Sofia Areal, José de Guimarães, Pedro Proença, among others, Galeria Vera Cruz, Aveiro, Portugal.
Visual Arts Award, Gallery 32, with Brazilian Embassy and Itaú Bank, London, UK.
A Mostra, Patricia Pires de Lima Projetos, Lisbon, Portugal.
2014
Salão de Inverno, A Pequena Galeria, Lisbon, Portugal.
Arte de Bolso, Galeria Sete, Coimbra, Portugal.
21 Artistas Plásticos no Teatro da Politécnica, Alberto Carneiro, António Sena, Jorge Pinheiro, Jorge Martins, Nikias Skapinakis, Pedro Chorão, Pedro Proença, Sofia Areal, among others, United Artists Exhibition Space, Lisbon, Portugal.
Pixels of Identities, Palazzo Albrizzi, Venice, Italy.
Arte Hoje, Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, Lisbon, Portugal.
Bibliography
- RE-VISION, exh. Cat., Kunstverein Tiergarten, 2024.
- Reflexivity, exh. Cat. Museu da Guarda, 2024. Texts by Richard Wentworth, Thierry Santos and Martim Brion.
- Areal3 – Três Gerações de Cor, exh. Cat. Centro Cultural de Lagos, 2024. Texts by Martim Brion.
- Blickfeld – The inevitability of the self, exh. Cat. Galerie Etage, Museum Reinickendorf, 2024. Texts by Sabine Ziegenrücker and Artists.
- 24! Fragen an die Konkrete Gegenwart, Museum Für Konkrete Künst and Museum Kulturspeicher Würzburg, Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2024. Texts by Mathias Listl, Henrike Holsing, Theres Rohde.
- Areal3 – Três gerações de cor, Centro Cultural de Lagos, 2024. Text by Martim Brion.
- O que Fazer, exh. cat., Museu Ibérico de Arqueologia e Arte de Abrantes (MIAA), 2023. Texts by João Silvério and Martim Brion.
- 24 Künstler – 24 Multiples, exh. cat., Raum für Gäste, 2022. Texts by Vera Hilger and Michael Krupp.
- (0/1) O zero e o um, exh. cat., MUHNAC and Galeria Nave, 2022. Texts by Sofia Marçal and Mercedes Ceron.
- What is to be done?, exh. cat. Município de Abrantes, MIAA, 2022, texts by João Silvério, Fernando Figueiredo Ribeiro and Martim Brion.
- Ponto Contraponto, exh. cat., Município de Vila Nova da Barquinha, Galeria do Parque, 2022. Texts by João Pinharanda and Martim Brion.
- Between past and future, exhibitions 2014 – 2021, Prodicus Publishing, 2022. Texts by João Pinharanda, José Sousa Machado, Tom Saunders and Martim Brion.
- Selected Works 2014-2021 Martim Brion, Prodicus Publishing, Berlin, 2021.
- Repetições, exh. Cat., MUDAS Contemporary Art Museum, 2020. Texts by Miguel von Haffe Peréz and Martim Brion.
- Área de Diálogo, exh. cat., Leiria Municipal Council and Banco de Portugal Municipal Gallery, 2019. Text by Tom Saunders.
- Areal3 – Uma exposição de António, Sofia e Martim Areal, exh. cat., Neupergama Gallery and Torres Novas Municipality, 2019. Texts by Fernando Rosa Dias, Emília Ferreira, Tom Saunders and Martim Brion.
- Boese, Brion e Tecedeiro, exh. cat., Ponte de Sor Cultural Centre, 2018. Texts by Martim Brion and Laura Falé.
- Martim Brion, Prodicus Publishing, 2018.
Grants and Prizes
2025 – Grant for internationalisation – Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal.
2025 – Mobility Grant Instituto Camões Bulgária
2023/24 – Grant for internationalisation – Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal.
2023 – Culture Moves Europe – European Union and Goethe Institute
2022 –Stiftung Kunstfonds for artistic production, Germany.
2021 –DGArtes grant for artistic production, Portugal.
2015 – 3rd place in the visual arts prize of the Brazilian Embassy and Itaú Bank. UK.
Martim Brion 