Marcelo Novo, a contemporary artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina, currently lives and works in the USA, in the DC area. His artistic journey is deeply influenced by European and Latin American Surrealism, a movement that delves into the profound connection between art and the inner workings of the mind, revealing hidden realms of the psyche.
In his work, Marcelo Novo employs a diverse array of recurring symbols as expressions of his life experiences. Some of these symbols are intricately tied to his Latin American cultural heritage and his profound connection to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The rich tapestry of Surrealism weaves through his creations, bringing forth a unique blend of influences that shape his artistic vision.
Marcelo Novo embarked on his artistic education at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, where he studied painting under the guidance of artist Roberto Aizemberg. Following his formative years in Argentina, Novo relocated to the USA in 1992. There, he earned a Master's degree from the University of South Carolina and further contributed to the artistic community by teaching art at Benedict College.
Novo's work has garnered recognition both nationally and internationally, with exhibitions held in galleries and museums across the USA and abroad. Notable venues include the Centro Cultural Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Cinque Gallery in NYC, the Museum of Latin American Art in California, and the Argentine Embassy in Washington, DC. His creations have found a home in numerous esteemed collections, such as the South Carolina State Arts Collection, the Contemporary Carolinas Collection of the Medical University of SC, and the White House Christmas Ornaments Collection.
Marcelo Novo's artistic prowess has been acknowledged with multiple awards and honors, and he has received grants from the SC Arts Commission. His scholarly contributions led him to participate as a scholar-in-residence in the Faculty Resource Network Program at NYU.
EDUCATION
1998 MA Art Studio. University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
1989 National Professor of Fine Arts. Area of concentration: Printmaking. National School of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
RESIDENCIES AND PUBLIC ART
2013 Visiting Artist Summer Program, Torpedo Factory Art Center. Alexandria, VA.
2010-2012 Albemarle Park and Ride, CATS Art-in-Transit Program (mosaic mural). Charlotte, North Carolina.
2009 Carolinas Healthcare Artist-in-residency, created 7x15’ mural for Charlotte’s new Mercy Hospital. McColl Center for Visual Arts. Charlotte, NC.
2008 Wilson College Summer Artist-in-residency Program. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
2007 Mural at Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorder, Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina.
2005 Artist-in-residence, mural project with Sumter School District students in conjunction with Accessibility 2005. Sponsored by Time Warner Cable and the Sumter Cultural Commission. Sumter, SC.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2011 “Parallel Worlds”, Solo exhibition curated by: Alfredo Ratinoff. Embassy of Argentina, Washington, DC.
2010 “South Carolina Artists 2010: A 2D Fine Arts Exhibition. Juror: Barbara Anderson Hill, Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, SC.
2009 “Cultural Crossroads”. Juror: Rosie Gordon-Wallace, founder/director/curator of Miami’s Gordon-Wallace, founder/director/curator of Miami’s Diaspora Vibe Gallery. Associated Artists Gallery, Winston Salem, NC.
2008 “MARCELO NOVO Buenos Aires/Columbia, SC 1985-1994”. If ART Gallery, Columbia, SC.
2007/8 “The Connection”, a juried traveling exhibition showcasing the connection between South Carolina and the island of Barbados. Organized by The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, show will travel in 2007-2008 through South Carolina and Barbados, West Indies.
2007 “FOOTLONG” National Juried Exhibition, Juror: Stephen Fleming, Director Roswell Artist in Residence Program. Runnels Gallery, Eastern New Mexico University, NM.
2006 “Accessibility Columbia: Making History on Main Street” (installation art project), Curator: Mary Gilkerson, Professor of Art, Columbia College. Main Street, Downtown Columbia, SC.
2006 “The Unlikely Target”, Juror: Brad Thomas, Director and Curator for Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College. Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston, SC.
2006 “Discovering Contemporary Art in the Carolinas”, Juror: Mark Sloan, Director of the Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Fayetteville Museum Of Art, Fayetteville, NC.
2004 “ART at WAR/The Artist’s Voice”. Aldo Castillo Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2004 7th Street Windows Project, competition organized by McColl Center for Visual Art. Transamerica Building, Charlotte, NC.
2003 “Diez Años/Ten Years, 1992-2002” (retrospective show). Sumter Gallery of Art, Sumter, SC.
2002 “Narrative as Art” (an invitational exhibit). DeLand Museum of Art, DeLand, FL.
2002 “What’s New” An exhibition of art by Carolina artists. McColl Center for Visual Art’s Spirit Square Galleries, Charlotte, NC.
2001 “Latin American Graphics” (invitational/showcase & auction). The Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA.
1999 “Artist in the City” The Legacy of the Faculty Resource Network. Cinque Gallery,
New York, NY.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
1998-Present Full-time Visual Artist. Alexandria, VA.
1995-98 Full-time Art Instructor. Benedict College, Columbia, SC.
AWARDS AND HONORS
2007 Best in Show award, “The Connection”, South Carolina and the island of Barbados. Organized by The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor
2000 Semi Finalist for the ArtLink@Sotheby’s International Young Art 2001 Program.
2000/98/94 Multicultural Grant Award. South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Columbia, SC.
1998/97/95 Scholar-in residence, Faculty Resource Network Summer Program, New York University, New York City, NY.
MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS
2005-2006 “Catharsis” (ballet’s idea/plot, costume & stage design), collaboration with Brazilian choreographer Miriam Barbosa, USC Dance Company. Koger Center for the Arts, Columbia, SC.
OTHER PROJECTS
2005 Curator of Accessibility 2005, “Transplanted: Latino Artists in the USA” (site-specific installation exhibition). Sponsored by the Sumter Cultural Commission. Sumter, SC.
Look for me in Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/marcelonovoart
2007 Best in Show “The Connection”, a juried traveling exhibition showcasing the connection between South Carolina and the island of Barbados. Organized by The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, show will travel in 2007-2008 through South Carolina and Barbados, West Indies.
2007 Third Place Award, “2007 NBSC Oil Painters’ Open Invitational” (Third Place Award), Juror: Sandra Rupp, Director of Hampton III Gallery of Taylors, South Carolina. The Sumter County Gallery of Art, Sumter, SC.
2002 Third Place Award, 25th Annual Juried South Carolina Artists Exhibition “A Silver Anniversary”. Pickens County Museum of Art & History, Pickens, SC. Juror: J. Paul Sires, Center Of The Earth Gallery’s Co-Director/Owner (Charlotte, NC).
2002 Ken & Vicki Cook Merit Award, “Jubilee: Harvest of the Arts” 2002 Juried Exhibition” (Merit Award). Dalton Gallery, Rock Hill Center for the Arts, Rock Hill, SC.
2001 “Street Gallery II”-Winner of Billboard competition, sponsored by the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties and Lamar Advertising, Columbia, SC.
2000 Ken & Vicki Cook Merit Award. Jubilee: Harvest of the Arts 2000 Juried Show, Dalton Gallery, Rock Hill Arts Council, Rock Hill, SC.
2000 Semi Finalist for the ArtLink@Sotheby’s International Young Art 2001 Program.
2000 Multicultural Grant Award. South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Columbia, SC.
1998 Multicultural Grant Award. South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Columbia, SC.
1998 Fine Art Merit Award (Dr. & Mrs. Sidney Fulmer) and Professional Merit Award 1st. Painting on Canvas, SCSF. Juried by Mary F. Douglas and J. Richard Gruber, Ph.D., Columbia, SC.
1998 Winner of Street Gallery Project (billboard), Sponsored by the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties and Lamar Advertising, Columbia, SC.
1998/97/95 Scholar-in residence, Faculty Resource Network Summer Program, New York University, New York City, NY.
1994 South Carolina State Art Collection Acquisition. Columbia, SC.
1994 Multicultural Grant Award. South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment of the Arts, Columbia, SC.
1992 Ducworth and Company Award, Anderson County Art Show, Anderson, SC.
1991 3rd. Place VIII Painting Salon-Attorney School, Judicial department, Mercedes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1990 4th. Place 1st. Salon Almagro, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1990 Special Award For a better World (Painting and Printmaking), Recoleta Cultural Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1989 2nd. Place Annual Show of Miniature Sculptures, S.A.A.P, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1987 Special Award Painting Contest, television Argentina Syndicated, Sivori Museum, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2006 Thomas, Heidi. “Building an Arts Scene: Despite Roadblocks, Installation Art Comes to Main Street”, Free Times (p. 20-21), April 5.
2006 Day, Jeffrey. “Installation art makes hard journey back to city”, The State (Life &Arts Section, front cover, p. 2), April 2.
2006 Smith, Nick. “Moving Targets: Far-flung entries use unlikely stuff to make a juried show worthwhile”, Charleston City Paper (Arts), March 29.
2005 Jones, Rhonda. “Surrealist painter Marcelo Novo surprises himself”, Metro Spirit (Arts Section/front cover, p. 24), June 16.
2005 Day, Jeffrey. “Art meets dance in a Catharsis”, The State (Life & Style/Weekend Section/front cover, p. 20), March 4.
2004 Mobley-Martinez, T.D. “Pluck meets luck”, The State (Arts Section/front cover, p. 3), October 5.
2003 Pearson, Leslie. “Artist accents subliminal style” Jackson Gallery holding exhibit, The Augusta Chronicle/Carolina Chronicle (p. 1), October 12.
2003 Bentz Gilkerson, Mary. “Ten Years of Marcelo Novo”, Free Times (p. 20), July 2.
2003 Garcia, Alejandro. “Marcelo Novo and sus 10 años del sueño automatizado”/”Marcelo Novo y His Ten Years of Automatic Dreams”, Columbia Star/El Star en español (p. 17, 24), June 12.
2002 Collins, Jane G. “Exhibit is Colorful, ‘Creative Fun”, The Item /Panorama, May 31.
2002 Garcia, Alejandro. “Marcelo Novo and his magical vision of the world”/”Marcelo Novo y su visión mágica del mundo”, Columbia Star/El Star en español (p. 6), December 26.
2002 Haynie, Rachel. “South Carolina birds hang in The White House”, Columbia Star (cover), December 19.
2002 Bishop, Philip E. “Art invites us to picture the story”, Orlando Sentinel, July 23.
2002 Stewart, Laura. “Listen to the whisper: One exhibit shouts, other is quietly powerful”, News-Journal Online, July 21.
2002 Moscoso, Claudia. “Poet’s words transformed into art exhibit”, News-Journal Online, July 11.
2002 Raschal, Richard. “Area artists find showplace at Tryon Center”, The Charlotte Observer, Arts (p. 24), February 15.
2001 Day, Jeffrey. “Upstate artist Wingo leads parade of fine winter shows/New Novo”, The State (cover “Arts” Section, p. 7 & 8), December 9.
2001 Free Times (cover), November 7-13.
2001 Carolina Arts, “City Art in Columbia, SC, Features Second Solo Exhibition of New Works by Marcelo Novo” (cover) ” Vol. 5, No. 11, November.
2001 Rhodes, Kristen. “Piccolo Visual Arts-Plentiful offerings don’t dissapoint”, Charleston City Paper (p. 50), May 30.
2000 Day, Jeffrey. “Columbia billboards to display art”, The State (Metro Section/front cover, p. 5), April 5.
2000 Raman, Anne. “Artista Vista ISO Audience”, Free Times.
2000 Powers, Patricia. Artist Profile: “The Expanded World of Marcelo Novo”, Visual Arts (cover, p. 5), September (premier issue).
2000 Holly Evans, Margaret. “The Latin American Magic of Marcelo Novo”, Lowcountry Weekly (cover, p. 11), August 23.
2000 Day, Jeffrey. “Hot Summer Shows at the Galleries”, The State (p. F2), July 16.
2000 Tynes, Teri. “The Rise of Marcelo Novo”, Free Times (cover, p.26 & 27), May 10.
2000 Garibaldi, Sarah. “Don’t let your first impressions turn you off”, The Herald (p. 1D & 16D), April 28.
1999 La Noticia, The Spanish-Language Newspaper (cover, p 30), July 2.
1999 “Billboards: Art on the Road,” Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art,
Massachusetts, Survey Section (reproduction of Endangered Beauty).
1999 The Official South Carolina Collector’s Guide, p.8 (reproduction of Kiss).
1999 Artifacts, Vol. III, p.10 (reproduction of Foaling).
1999 Art Express, 10th Anniversary Issue, Cover (reproduction of Susurros).
1999 Smith, Charlotte. “Open Doors”, a review of The Muse @ 701: An exhibition of works by resident artists at Gallery 701, Free Times, March 3.
1999 Hinshaw, Dawn. “Gallery 701 puts together 11 artists for new show”, The State, Section F, p.2, February 21.
1998 Artifacts, Vol. IV, Cover (reproduction of Self Portrait with Grandmother).
1998 Triennial 98, April, p.38 (reproduction of Monument I).
1998 Tynes, Teri. “Contemporary Visual Arts in Columbia, Then and Now: the Making of an Art City”, Free Times, March 22.
1998 Tynes, Teri. “Exhibiting the Unconcious: Marcelo Novo at City Art”, Free Times, February 25.
1998 Star Reporter, “City Art presents Marcelo Novo…creation of images by psychic automatism,” Vol. 35, No. 19, February 12.
1998 Carolina Arts, Works by Marcelo Novo at City Art’s Main Gallery,” Vol. 2, No. 2, February.
1998 Day, Jeffrey. “Rethinking a Gallery”, The State, Section F, February 8.
1997 Starr, William, W. “Advertising Firm, Arts Council put Artworks in Big Picture”, The State, December 8.
1996 Seikyo Times, Vol. 417, p.50 “Marcelo’s Freedom: the Art of Automatism”, and Cover (reproduction of Man and Bird Laughing).
1995 Gerstner, Jack. “Marcelo Novo versatile”, Free Times, October 11.
1995 Getty, Cara-lin. “The Dark Series-Works by Surrealist Marcelo Novo on Display at USC Sumter Library”, Panorama, February 28.
1993 Portfolio, Vol. 15, Issue 2, Cover (reproduction of Urban Angel) and p.6 (reproduction of the Four Muses).
Marcelo Novo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He graduated as a Profesor Nacional de Bellas Artes from Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes “Prilidiano Pueyrredon” (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and studied Painting under Surrealist artist Roberto Aizemberg. In 1992, Novo moved to the USA were he received a Master's degree from the University of South Carolina and taught art at Benedict College from 1995 to 1998. His art has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States and abroad, including the Centro Cultural Recoleta, in Buenos Aires, Argentina; The DeLand Museum of Art in DeLand, FL.; the Cinque Gallery in New York; the Museum of Latin American Art, CA; and the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC. In addition, his work is in public and corporate collections, including those of the South Carolina State Arts Collection, Computer Sciences Corporation, the Cultural Council of Richland & Lexington Counties in South Carolina and the White House Christmas Ornaments Collection. Mr. Novo is the recipient of numerous awards and honors; has received grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission; and was a scholar-in-residence in the Faculty Resource Network Summer Program at New York University. Recently, he was selected and participated in the artist-in-residence program at McColl Center for Visual Arts, Charlotte, NC. He lives and works as a full-time artist in Alexandria, Virginia.
I use a method of creation called Automatism. This method gives the artist unlimited creative freedom allowing images to flow freely from the subconscious to compose the artwork. I begin a work, without a previous idea or theme and without sketches, directly on the chosen surface. I start doodling, things “start happening”, and I follow. I try to suppress my conscious awareness as much as I can, distracting it and bypassing its interference, thus allowing the images to flow freely. I utilize whatever medium is necessary in order to obtain a more pure and faithful transition between the inner and the outer. I start and finish my works in one session with the purpose of capturing a particular (or specific) state of mind. I consider that my art has its roots in Latin American and European Surrealism. Diverse recurrent symbols appear in my work as manifestations of my own “recorded” experiences. However, certain images are closely related to the Latin American culture as a whole and they have been transferred to me through my cultural heritage. During my ten year residency in the United States my imagery has been affected in a very unique way. Since it is not my intention to communicate any particular message through my art, I would like the viewers to make their own interpretation based on their individual experiences. I believe the viewer completes the work.
Marcelo Novo
