Martine Syms. Photo: Tyler Adams, courtesy of the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London.
Martine Syms
PROJECT
These filmic collages draw from CCTV, television, the internet, social media and footage produced by mobile phones to examine how representations of gender and Black identity are formed within broader image and language systems. By weaving together found footage with voiceover created using text-to speech software, Martine Syms both evokes and distorts notions of perspective and character, prompting viewers to consider how technology mediates our experiences. In doing so, the works invite reflection on the authenticity and construction of the narratives we consume every day.
The acquisition of this artist’s work is supported by Alana Kirby on behalf of the Sun Foundation
ABOUT
Martine Syms is one of the defining voices of her generation with a practice spanning cinema, art and theatre. Her work has been exhibited widely at major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and MOCA Chicago in the US, and the ICA in London. Syms’ work is held in significant public collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate, the Guggenheim, LACMA, and the Walker Art Center. Alongside her institutional practice, she has undertaken commissioned projects with Louis Vuitton, LeBron James, H&M, Rihanna, Nike, Prada, and Bad Bunny.
Syms is the writer and director of The African Desperate, which premiered as the closing night film of the New Directors/New Films Festival in 2022 and is distributed internationally by MUBI. Her honours include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Creative Capital Award, a United States Artists Fellowship, and the Future Fields Prize, among others. As well as appearing in the 2026 NGV Triennial, Syms will exhibit at Sadie Coles HQ, London, in September 2026, followed by a solo exhibition at MOCA Los Angeles in 2027. She is currently working on her next feature-length film.
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