Thomas Martinez Pilnik
b. 1993 | British/Brazilian | Based in Los Angeles / San Clemente

Program Director at Art House San Clemente

EDUCATION

2023                Master of Fine Arts, Studio Art, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
2020                Master of Education, Postsecondary Administration, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
2016                Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art & Cognitive Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
 
SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS, PROJECTS, AND INSTALLATIONS

2024                 TBD, CLEO Gallery, Savannah, GA (Upcoming - June)
2023                 KEEP OUT: I Love You, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, New York, NY
                          Ai, Que Coisa Feia, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
                          Smoking Kills but I Really Want a Cigarette, Lauren Powell Projects / Artsy, Los Angeles, CA
2022                 And Only Its Hands Are Left Pleading for Life, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery, Groton, CT
2021                 Your Local Package Store, Dye & Bleach House Gallery, Willington, CT
                          Ai Que Coisa Feia, Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon, Portugal
                          Functional Obsolescence, Shed, Willimantic, CT
2020                 Louis Vuitton Has its Own Island, Shelter in Place Gallery, Boston, MA
2019                 A Song for David, Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, Providence, RI
                          A Pesca Milagrosa, McKenzie Gibson Studios, Warren, RI
2016                 Daphne: UVA Thesis Show, Ruffin Gallery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
2015                 At Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, Ruffin Gallery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS, PROJECTS, AND INSTALLATIONS

2024               Place Setting, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (Upcoming - July)
                        Venice Family Clinic Art Walk + Auction, Venice Family Clinic, Los Angeles, CA (Upcoming - May)
                        More Than Now, Moosey Gallery, London, UK
                        FLUSH, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Los Angeles, CA (Curatorial)
                        Potluck, Hashimoto Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
2023               Hollywood 100, DesignerCon x Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Anaheim, CA
                        Let Them Eat Fake, Bad Art Presents x BWG Gallery, London, UK
                        Queer Kicks, Complex Con x Schlomer Haus Gallery, Long Beach, CA
                        Cup Show 2, Space Ten Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
                        Bye Bye Cowbow, Arusha Gallery, London, UK
                        For the Love of Dog, Hashimoto Contemprary, Los Angeles, CA
                        Everything but the Kitchen Sink, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
                        VOLTA, Presented by Ethan Cohen Gallery, Basel, CH 
                        Closed Switch, The Wurks, Providence, RI
                        Shhh, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, New York, NY
                        Weird Flowers, Curve Line Space, Los Angeles, CA
                        EXPO Chicago, Presented by Ethan Cohen Gallery, Chicago, IL
                        Closed Switch, The Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, CT
                        Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, presented by Ethan Cohen Gallery, Palm Beach, FL
                        Birds of a Feather, KuBe Art Center, Beacon, NY
2022               Tread Lightly, Lauren Powell Projects, Los Angeles, CA
                        Touch Me Baby, Bad Art / The Bomb Factory Art Foundation, London, UK
                        Red Dot, Stove Works, Chattanooga, TN
                        Hammer Time, Zaratan - Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon, Portugal
                        Poetics of Materiality, Wavelength Space, Chattanooga, TN
                        True Colors, Troppus Projects, Kent, OH 
                        At The Party, I Like Your Work, Online
                        Like Spilling, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery, Groton, CT
                        ARTPM, Buoy Gallery, Kittery, ME
                        I Ran Out of Reasons, The Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT
2021               A Great Big Xmas Show, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
                        Hammer Time, Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon, Portugal
                        It’s Still the Side of a Ramp, Arena Gallery, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
                        It’s Just the Side of a Ramp, Arena Gallery, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
2020               Black Summer, Meet the Youngs & SWANK, Los Angeles, CA
                        Protest in Place, SoLA Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
                        Behind the Times, Solo Show & Alyssa Davis Gallery, New York, NY
2019               2814 Salon Show, BLDG Nº2, Los Angeles, CA
                        Let’s Hang, Art Share L.A., Los Angeles, CA
                        We Rise, LA Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles, CA                              

RESIDENCIES, AWARDS, AND GRANTS

2025               Artist in Residence, Wassaic Project, July, 2025, Wassaic, NY
2024               Artist in Residence, Art House San Clemente, January 8 - February 23, 2024, San Clemente, CA
2022               Artist in Residence, Stove Works, June 2-30, 2022, Chattanooga, TN
                        Conference Participation Award, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
2021               Artist in Residence, Zaratan - Arte Contemporânea, July 1-30, 2021, Lisbon, Portugal
2020-2023    Crandall Fellowship, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
2019               Visiting Artist, Philson Art Studio, December 16-21, 2019, Miami, FL
                        Artist in Residence, McKenzie Gibson Studios, June 1 – September 1, 2019, Warren, RI
                        Art Share L.A. Spotlight, Los Angeles, CA

PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS

2024               Article: Trippy Highlights from LA’s Spring/Break Art Show, Hyperallergic, February 29
                        Article: Hashimoto Contemporary is having a “Potluck” curated by Dasha Matsuura, Juxtapoz, February 5
                        Article: Potluck. A Group Exhibition, Meer Art, 27 January
2023               Article: ComplexCon 2023 Art, Complex Magazine, November 8
                        Article: Why Artists Can’t Quit Cigarettes, T Magazine: The New York Times, September 9
                        Article: The Wild Spring/Break Art Show, Brooklyn Magazine, September 7
                        Article: Hashimoto Does it for the “For The Love of Dog”, Juxtapoz, August 9
                        Article: Blissed-Out Art-Overdose: Upstate Art Weekend 2023, Chronogram, July 25
                        Article: Cigarettes, Ceramics, and Curatorial Chaos, Bmore Art, May 22
                        Article: See Spring/Break’s Secret Show, Untitled Magazine, May 19
                        Article: Ceramics Take Center Stage at Spring Break’s Secret Show, The Art Newspaper, May 19
                        Article: ‘It’s Like a Potluck’: The Spring Break Art Show Returns, Artnet, May 11
                        Article: Sculpture Slays at Spring Break’s Surprise Show, Hyperallergic, May 11
                        Article: Spring Break Goes for Broke, Diversions LA, February 22
                        Article: LA’s Spring Break Art Show is a Wacky Lucid Dream, Hyperallergic, February 17
2022               Article: Open Air 2022 Intends to Spark Conversation at Avery Point, UConn Today, August 16
2021                Article: From Portugal to Connecticut, The Neighbors Paper, November 1
                        Article: Ai, Que Coisa Feia, Direção-Geral das Artes Portugal, July 20
2020               Article: Meet UConn’s MFA Studio Art Class of 2023, Hyperallergic, September 14
                        Article: Protest as Art, Art and Cake Los Angeles, July 31
2019               Article: LA’s Most Fascinating Trash, Of Spiders and Strawberries Magazine, June 5

WORKSHOPS & TALKS

2024               Workshop: Play Into Our Hands, Long Beach Museum of Art, LA, CA, January 5
2023               Workshop: With Our Hands (Hands Hands), Lauren Powell Projects, LA, CA, November 19
                        Talk: Ai Que Coisa Feia, The William Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, CT, April 19
                        Panel: Tread Lightly, Lauren Powell Projects, Los Angeles, CA, January 5
2022               Talk: Poetics of Materiality, Wavelength Space, Chattanooga, TN, October 27
                        Workshop: Play Into My Hands, Stove Works, Chattannooga, TN, June 23
                        Talk: Cheat On Me, Dry Ice Gallery, Chattanooga, TN, June 17
                        Talk: Blah Blah Blah, Stove Works, Chattanooga, TN, June 9
                        Panel: I Ran out of Reasons, The Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT, March 31
2021                Talk: Collecting, Hoarding, Archiving, Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon, Portugal, July 30
      

COLLECTIONS

The Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, West Palm Beach, FL
California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

PROFESSIONAL & TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2024                Program Director, Art House San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
2022                Instructor of Record, Foundation: Criticism and Interpretation, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
2021                Instructor of Record, Basic Studio (Sculpture), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
                        Teaching Assistant to Chris Sancomb, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
2020               Teaching Assistant to Monica Bock, John O’Donnell, and Cora Lynn Deibler, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT