ABOUT

Ian Waelder (b. Madrid, 1993) is a Spanish-American artist and publisher currently based in Frankfurt am Main.

Fine Art studies at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main between 2017 and 2023 under Prof. Haegue Yang; having been previously in the class of Peter Fischli, and Mark von Schlegell’s Pure Fiction seminar.

His practice explores the memory and trace by isolating archival histories and language in relation to his biography, working through the poetics of the accident and the repurposing of the discarded. Waelder’s work unfolds through the mediums of photography, sculpture, sound and installation.

He uses the following sentence as the whole statement of his work:
THE NOISE, TRACES AND MARKS ARE THE RESULTS OF AN ACTIVITY THAT DID NOT NECESSARILY EXPECT TO PRODUCE THEM.

Among his solo exhibitions, we find Is it like today? (ethall gallery, Barcelona, 2022), Why aren’t they all like that, as I should be? (L21 Gallery, Palma, 2021), Teo’s Pink Panther (Las Palmas, Lisboa, 2019), We feel untied, but why? (curated by Sonia Fernández Pan at Centro Párraga, Murcia, 2018), Who Would Be Interested in an Empty Parking Lot? (The Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, 2018), The Noise, The Traces and Marks (LOCAL Arte Contemporáneo, Santiago de Chile, 2015) or After a hippie jump (L21 Gallery, Madrid, 2014).

His solo presentations in art fairs include ARCO Madrid (L21, 2021) and Artissima Torino (Present Future, L21, 2019), and has had group and two-person exhibitions at venues such as Francis Irv (New York), Tatjana Pieters Gallery (Ghent), Nassauischer Kunstverein (Wiesbaden), Spoiler (Berlin), Galerie Rolando Anselmi (Atina), Joey Ramone Gallery (Rotterdam), Salón (Madrid), L21 (Madrid and Mallorca), Sant Andreu Contemporani (Barcelona), Tabacalera (Madrid) and La Casa Encendida (Madrid).

He has participated in publications and readings as a member of Pure Fiction at the Kölnischer Kunstverein (Cologne), Kunsthalle Portikus (Frankfurt am Main), Johanne (Frankfurt am Main), and Ashley (Berlin).

Artist in residence at HANGAR Lisboa (2016) and NauEstruch Sabadell (2015), in 2013 he received the Full Contact Prize at the photography festival SCAN Tarragona as well as the Honor Mention at the Ciutat de Palma Prize. More recently he’s been awarded with the DZ BANK Art Foundation Grant 2023/24, the Städelschule Rundgang “Felix von Saucken” Prize and the Deutschland Stipendium. In 2022 his solo show “Is it like today?” at ethall gallery received the Art Nou and the Art-O-Rama Prize given by the Barcelona Art Galleries Association.

His work is part of public and private collections like Es Baluard Contemporary Art Museum, BRAUNSFELDER Family Collection and Camper Foundation, among others.

Parallel to his artistic practice, he’s the founder of the publishing house Printer Fault Press.


CONTACT:
ianwaelder[at]gmail.com






CV

EDUCATION

2017 - 2023
  • Hochschule für Bildende Künste - Städelschule, Frankfurt am Main (DE). 
           Profs. Haegue Yang, Mark von Schlegell, Peter Fischli.

UPCOMING:

2023
  • (solo) mezzo staccato (romantic gestures), Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Rome (IT)
  • (group) Stick n Poke. Curated by Alana Alireza & Geraldine Belmont. FOMO Art Space, Zurich (CH)
  • (group) Art-O-Rama Marseille with ethall gallery. Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille (FR)
  • (solo) Even in a language that is not your own. Curated by Francesco Giaveri. Es Baluard Contemporary Art Museum, Palma (ES)

SOLO AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS

2022
  •  Is it like today?, ethall gallery, Barcelona (ES)

2021
  • ¿Por qué no son todos así, como yo debiera ser?” (Why aren’t they all like that, as I should be?), L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)

2019
  • Solo Project. Present Future Section at Artissima, Torino (IT)
  • Teo’s Pink Panther. Las Palmas. Lisbon (PT)

2018
  • Das Kniegelenk. L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)
  • we feel untied, but why?. Curated by Sonia Fernández Pan. Centro Párraga, Murcia (ES)
  • Who would be interested in an empty parking lot?. Project Space. Finnish Museum of Photography. Helsinki (FI)

2016
  • SUEDE. L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)
  • Dear Leg,. (w/ Bel Fullana). Bacelos Gallery. Madrid (ES)
  • Ruido. (w/ Èlia Llach). Ana Mas Projects Gallery. Barcelona (ES)
  • Photographs. Fundació Forvm. Tarragona (ES)

2015
  • To play with heights with a kind of void. DAFO Projectes. Curator: Jordi Antas. Lleida (ES)
  • El Biombo y el Eco (w/ Felipe Mujica). Salón. Curated by Carolina Castro Jorquera. Madrid (ES)
  • The noise, the traces and the marks. LOCAL Arte Contemporáneo. Santiago de Chile (CL)
  • Believe Me, I Tried. Chirivella Soriano Foundation. Valencia (ES)

2014
  • After a Hippie Jump. L21, Madrid (ES)

2013
  • Cover. Espazo Miramemira. Santiago de Compostela (ES)
  • Side/Walk. Palma Photo ‘13. L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023
  • Search Party – Ben Edmunds invites friends. Tatjana Pieters Gallery, Ghent (BE)
  • Balusters. Francis Irv, New York (US)

2022
  • ...and then night! Curated by Aurélien Le Genissel. Rodríguez Gallery, Poznań (PL)
  • Losing by winning - Edith Stein. Curated by Dr. Hubert Salden. Museum Stift Stams (AT)
  • Three course menu. Curated by Curatorial Studies (Städelschule/Goethe University). Fffriedrich, Frankfurt am Main (DE)
  • The Hotel Show. Curated by Anna-Lisa Scherfose, Alke Heykes, Sarah Müller, Seda Pesen. Pearl Hotel, Frankfurt am Main (DE)
  • ARCO Madrid (ES)

2021
  • WALKING, RUNNING, FALLING. Curated by Francesco Giaveri. L21 LAB, Palma de Mallorca (ES)
  • I've got a suitcase of memories that I almost left behind. Time after time. Joey Ramone Gallery. Rotterdam (NL).
  • Future School, Korean Pavilion. Venice Architecture Biennale (IT)
  • Touch Release. In collab with Tom Engels. Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden (DE)
  • Going nowhere. SPOILER. Berlin (DE)

2020
  • UN MOMENTO ATEMPORAL. 35 AÑOS DE CREACIÓN INJUVE, curated by David Armengol at Tabacalera, Madrid (ES)
  • The Hawt Show II. Galerie Rolando Anselmi. Atina (IT)
  • ARCO Madrid (ES)
  • Sunday Show. Laurel Project Space. Amsterdam (NL)

2019
  • From Outside Or From Within But From Another Angle. Joey Ramone Gallery. Rotterdam (NL)
  • ARCO Madrid (ES)
  • Open Mike. Pure Fyction Workshop. Kölnischer Kunstverein. Cologne (DE)
  • Pure Fyction Mausoleum. Johanne. Frankfurt am Main (DE)
  • Rundgang. Städelschule. Frankfurt am Main (DE)

2018
  • Ver as vozes dos artistas. Curated by Miguel von Hafe Pérez. Metro do Porto (PT)
  • ARCO Madrid (ES)
  • Rundgang. Städelschule. Frankfurt am Main (DE)

2017
  • Lockers V2. Curated by Diego Díez. Stedelijk Museum. Amsterdam (NL)
  • Ayudas a la Creación INJUVE. Sala Amadís. Madrid (ES)
  • ARCO Madrid. (ES)

2016
  • LENGUAJE. L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)
  • Ch.ACO. Santiago (CL)
  • Biennal d’Art Ciutat d’Amposta. Lo Pati. Amposta (ES) 
  • Do you believe?. Fabra i Coats Centre D’Art. Barcelona (ES)
  • Statement. L21 Gallery. Madrid (ES)

2015
  • Untitled Miami Beach. Miami (US)
  • Artists in residence at NauEstruch. Campanar de Sant Félix. Sabadell (ES)
  • Hot drinks and minimal punk. L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)
  • ARCO Madrid. L21 Gallery. Madrid (ES)
  • Ciutat de Palma. Casal Solleric. Palma de Mallorca (ES)

2014
  • The Apartment (piloto). L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)
  • AGRICULTORS. Curator: Sema D’Acosta. Sant Andreu Contemporani. Barcelona (ES)
  • Queso de cobra. Casas da Hedra. Santiago de Compostela (ES)
  • Ende der party. Tokonoma. Kassel. (DE)
  • Present Indicatiu. Fabra i Coats. Barcelona (ES)
  • Aprender a caer. Inéditos. Curator: Ángel Calvo Ulloa. La Casa Encendida. Madrid (ES)
  • Misha Bies Golas: 27 Negros. Contemporary Art Center of Galicia (CGAC) Santiago de Compostela (ES)
  • Behind the scenes. CAC Ses Voltes. Mallorca (ES)
  • ¿Por qué la noche…?. Panal361. Buenos Aires (AR)
  • Sobre el muro. Curator: Ángel Calvo Ulloa. L21. Madrid (ES)
  • Ciutat de Palma. Casal Solleric. Palma de Mallorca (ES)

2013
  • Certamen artes plásticas de Binissalem. Centro cultural Can Gelabert. Binissalem, Mallorca (ES)
  • Objetos. L21. Palma de Mallorca (ES)
  • Certamen Ciudad de Manacor. Museo de Historia-Torre dels Enagistes, Manacor (ES)
  • RAL 9005. L21. Madrid (ES)
  • Art Jove. Ses Voltes. Palma de Mallorca (ES)

PUBLICATIONS

2021
  • Federico Waelder (FRIEDRICH) - Heutigen Records
  • Breadcrumb. Art & Sandwiches. Ed. Cristina Ramos & Eliot Z. Felde. Published by Onomatopee Projects.

2020
  • Ich Bin Sandra (Nine Poems) – On a workshop by Karl Holmqvist. Published by Printer Fault Press

2019
  • Ian Waelder – Looking, Finding, Living, Sharing. Published by Printer Fault Press

RESIDENCIES

2018
  • L21 x Fundación Camper, Mallorca (ES)

2016
  • HANGAR. Lisboa (PT)

2015
  • NauEstruch. Sabadell (ES)

2014
  • Tokonoma. Kassel. (DE)
  • Centro PANAL 361. Buenos Aires (AR)

PRIZES/GRANTS

2023

2022
  • Art Nou Prize - Barcelona Art Galleries. Barcelona (ES)
  • Art-O-Rama Prize - Art Nou Primera Visió. Barcelona Art Galleries. Barcelona (ES)
  • Städelschule Rundgang “Felix von Saucken” Prize. Städelschule. Frankfurt (DE)

2021
  • Deutschlandstipendium. Städelschule. Frankfurt (DE)

2013
  • Full Contact Prize. SCAN Photography Festival, Tarragona (ES)

WORK IN COLLECTIONS

  • GRECU Collection, Bucharest (RO)



Photo documentation by:
John Forest, Natasha Lebedeva, Lúa Oliver, Ivan Murzin, Iain Emaline,
Juan David Cortés, Paul Levack, Jiyoon Chung, Juande Jarillo, Eva Carasol.
© Ian Waelder, 2023