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Marcelo Eli Sarmiento

@marceloelistudio

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Hearth Auction Artist: Marcelo Eli Sarmiento
Alchemy of time
2025, oil on canvas, 20 x 16”
Courtesy the artist
Estimated value: $3,500
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Online bidding is open now, via the link in bio.
Help us raise vital funds for ACRE’s residency program and ongoing resources for artists.
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Marcelo Eli is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist (b. 1989) whose work explores the intersection of epic myth and personal storytelling. His symbolically charged works draw from diverse literary, historical, and mythological sources to create an intertextual synthesis of past and present, resulting in a vivid pictorial drama. His practice is grounded in a classical framework informed by art history and mythology.
Eli seeks to express lived truths through intuitive composition where emotional resonance guides structure and form. The figures in his work often embody archetypes-warriors, muses, monsters, and lovers-through which he explores transformation, nostalgia, desire, spiritual contemplation, and grief. Grounded in color, texture, and expressive mark-making, his paintings balance classical structure with a sense of immediacy and emotional urgency. His works examine the permanence of power, the architecture of belief, and the enduring significance of inherited myth.
At the center of Eli’s practice is a confrontation between an American sense of “now” and a European sense of “then.” His paintings engage the interplay of time, myth, and the enduring questions of the human condition: mortality, ecstasy, violence, and conviction. These works function as eruptions-portals into the sacred, the tragic, and the immortal. Through his engagement with history and myth, Eli confronts his own internal conflicts while searching for new modes of expression.

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#artcubeloves #MarceloEliSarmiento whose work explores the intersection of epic myth and personal storytelling. His symbolically charged paintings and drawings draw on classical iconography and art history. By expressing the truth of his lived experiences through classical frameworks, his work is shaped by expressionism and pictorial drama. The figures in his art often appear as warriors, muses, beasts, and lovers—archetypes shaped by transformation, desire, and spiritual contemplation.

The visual language of his work is grounded in color, texture, and form, yet the mark-making remains urgent and raw, prioritizing immediacy over refinement. Influenced by Renaissance, Medieval, and Baroque compositions, his work is also filtered through the expressive distortions of painters like Beckmann, Baselitz, and Bob Thompson. This dynamic blend questions the permanence of power, the architecture of belief, and the weight of inherited myth.

At the core of Sarmiento’s practice is a confrontation with the human condition: mortality, violence, ecstasy, and conviction. These paintings are not nostalgic recreations of classical narratives but emotional eruptions—portals into the sacred, the tragic, and the unresolved. Through this anthology of history and myth, Sarmiento seeks to uncover his own internal battles and modes of expression. He lives and works in Chicago.

Three terms that are themes in or have been used to describe Sarmiento’s work: complexities of belonging, vibrant compositions, symbolism

Marcelo Eli Sarmiento is also included in our 2023 Discoveries Report, featuring the top 100 early-career artists ready to be discovered in 2023/2024 and beyond.

What tastemakers love (from our 2023 Discoveries Report):
‘Marcelo has a unique voice that taps into the symbolism, imagery, and colors of his heritage while simultaneously incorporating techniques and compositions from the western canon. Whether in his drawing practice, watercolor works, or larger oil paintings, Marcelo creates works that require excavation and thought.’ - Devora Kaye & Aidan Thomas, Collectors, Founders of The Macedonia Institute @the_macedonia_institute

@marceloelistudio #artcube

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c/o Gallery is excited to announce “Chicago and Vicinity (and Redux),” a group exhibition including works by Leon Golub, (and Redux) Marcelo Eli Sarmiento, amongst many others. The exhibition opens September 6th, with a reception from 5-7pm.

Please sign up to our newsletter on the gallery website. Link in bio

Leon Golub
Head XXXIX, 1959
#leongolub

Marcelo Eli Sarmiento
Be the light in the darkness, 2024
#marceloelisarmiento
#careofgallery

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Marcelo Eli Sarmiento
"Moments You Can't Relive"

Currently on view via appointment through July at our Venice gallery space. More information and viewing appointments are on our website.

This work and others exhibited in "Moments You Can't Relive" were created during a 2023 residency at The Macedonia Institute in New York. @the_macedonia_institute

Artwork Pictured:
Marcelo Eli Sarmiento
“Jaguar Warrior Diptych”
Oil on canvas
72” x 120”

@marceloelistudio

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Central Server Works is excited to announce Marcelo Eli Sarmiento "Moments You Can’t Relive".

Opening June 1, 2024, from 5 - 8 PM at our Venice, CA gallery in collaboration with EC3.

This exhibition marks the artist’s second with the gallery and first since the fall of 2022. "Moments You Can’t Relive" showcases a collection of new paintings and associated paper studies and is Sarmiento’s first solo exhibition of 2024 following the artist’s recent participation in Expo Chicago with AMFM.

The pieces in "Moments You Can’t Relive" were meticulously crafted during a 2023 residency at The Macedonia Institute in Chatham, NY, offering a unique perspective on Sarmiento’s 10+ year artistic journey.

The narrative thread woven through the paintings in the exhibition is a reflection on fleeting moments in life anchored in cultural history and personal resonance. At the heart of this exhibition are three distinct works, each capturing ephemeral moments enriched with deep meaning and spiritual significance.

Join us at the opening to celebrate Marcelo’s new body of work and kick off the summer of 2024 in Los Angeles.

@marceloelistudio @centralserverworks

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Images: 1) Marcelo Eli Sarmiento “Rich Spirit Study”, 2021. Ink on paper. 5 1⁄2 x 3 1⁄2 inches. 2) Marcelo Eli Sarmiento “Jaguar Warrior Ocelopilli Study”, 2021 Ink on paper 16 1⁄2 x 23 inches. 3) Marcelo Eli Sarmiento “Flower Prince Study”, 2021 Ink on moleskin paper. 11 1⁄2 x 16 1⁄2 inches.

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I really did not get to spend as much time at Expo as I wanted to but here are some more stand out pieces. ♥️

@expochicago

Can someone please help me with the artist in slide no.5?!

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Meet our EXPO featured artist, Marcelo Eli Sarmiento, for an evening open studio during EXPO x Gertie’s Art After Hours! Learn more about his practice and see exclusive works that won’t be on display in our booth at EXPO and enjoy light refreshments.

Marcelo Eli Sarmiento is an American artist whose art serves as a bridge between the contemporary narrative and the rich tapestry of pre-Columbian symbolism, drawing inspiration from his Mexican and Ecuadorian heritage. His work invites viewers to explore the intersections of culture, identity, and time, fostering a deeper connection to both the past and present.

Art After Hours is powered by Gertie and takes place on Friday evening of EXPO ART WEEK, featuring extended hours at over 45 galleries and creative spaces throughout the city of Chicago. With a myriad of exciting events unfolding throughout the evening, be sure to plan your night accordingly using the Gertie programming schedule and map.

📍Save the date: April 12, 5 - 8PM located at 5339 West Lake Street, Unit 228.

— #art #music #fashion #amfm #amfmlife #expochicago #gertiechicago

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🔴 MARCELO ELI ⚪️
PINTURA
CHICAGO

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🔴 ARTISTS ⚪️

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Central Server Works is excited to announce representation of Marcelo Eli Sarmiento (b. 1989, Chicago. Currently based in Chicago)

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Sarmiento is an American artist whose works aim to connect the contemporary experience and pre-Columbian symbolism. Pulling from his Mexican and Ecuadorian heritage, he creates new mythologies surrounding gods, warriors, and life and death.

Working prolifically but also methodically, Sarmiento's works constantly in a series. The works promote tradition and identity, questioning the established Indigenous/Latin histories and experiences. Marcelo has said that through his practice, he has been able to learn and express an excavation of his indigenous self and history.

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Central Server Works will open the galleries second exhibition with Marcelo Eli Sarmiento "Rich Spirit" in May, 2024 in Los Angeles.

The exhibition will be the artists first painting exhibition in Los Angeles and bring together work created during a 2023 residency in Hudson Valley, New York at The Macedonia Institute with a new body of work created in the artists Chicago studio.

The exhibition follows Central Server Works 2022 work on paper exhibition with Sarmiento "Soft and Heavy" and several group exhibitions including "Dandelion Wine", 2023 and "Thought Forms", 2023.

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Please email info@centralserverworks.com for more information and available artworks by Marcelo Eli Sarmiento.

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THOUGHT-FORMS

So proud of this team: @marian_cramer and @centralserverworks putting in the work out here in Paris — promoting, supporting, empowering, hustling and bustling — all in the name of good art.

Honored to be included in this production and looking forward to all our future collaborations.

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Thank you to everyone who came out to our first group show inaugurating our new space in DTLA 🖤

We appreciate all the love and support that everyone has shown our gallery over these past 11 months. We are excited for this next chapter in a new space and have a lot of plans in the works for the rest of this year. Keep an eye out for future announcements of shows!

𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑊𝑖𝑛𝑒

Artists:
@chasewilson__
@aaronlongsleeves
@archivethestudio
@derektylerfranklin
@new_atlantis
Maxwell Sykes
@marceloelistudio
@sachachavega
@petergronquist
@air_ick_huh
@phoneticallyhemmy
@daarriius
@misachhan
@sofia.heftersmith
@sensationalbobbi
@mirandajfriedman
@isabeltheselius

On view until August 19th. Link in bio to schedule a private viewing.

📷: @petergronquist

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