Curriculum

Manuel Rocha Iturbide

CURRICULUM

Born in 1963 in Mexico City, Manuel Rocha Iturbide is a transdisciplinary and intermedia artist. His work has been traversed by science and technology, philosophy and social anthropology, working in disciplines such as sculpture, installation, photography, drawing, graphic design and painting, as well as instrumental and electroacoustic music. His creative lines go through synesthesia, conceptualism, immersion, chance, listening to the environment, improvisation and constant experimentation with the hybridization of different media and languages. He also works as a teacher and researcher, tasks that have inserted me into an intermedial process of interaction between knowledge and creation, especially with the theme of historical memory mediated by technology, obsolescence, and the archive as an art form. He studied composition at the ENM in the University of Mexico (1981-1989) and photography at the Taller de los lunes workshop with Pedro Meyer (1985-1989). In 1991 he finishes an MFA in electronic music and composition at Mills College, Oakland California. In Paris, he takes a one-year course in composition and computer music at IRCAM, where he studies with Bryan Fernyhough (1991-92). In 1992 he starts his doctoral thesis in the field of Science and Technologie of the Arts at the University of Paris VIII with a thesis related to quantum physics, sound and art, and he worked as a researcher at IRCAM developing Gist.

He has been a professional active artist since 1989 and has created installations, sculptures, photography, graphic works and intermedia art works presented at important international galleries and museums such as the Crousel gallery (Paris, 1993), Artists Space in NY USA (1997), the 1998 Sidney Biennale in Australia (1998), Project Rooms at the ARCO art fair (Madrid, 1999), SURGE gallery (Tokyo, 2000), Kyoto Art Center in (Kyoto, 2001), Avatar (Quebec, 2003), Koldo de Mixtelena (San Sebastián Spain, 2007), McBean Gallery (San Francisco California 2010), Xing Dong Chaeng Space for Contemporary Art (Beijing China 2011), MUAC Contemporary Art Museum (Mexico City, 2011 et 2016), Le Laboratoire Gallery (México City), Prada Foundation (Venice, 2014), Kunstraum, Kreuzberg Bethanien (Berlin, 2016), Lowe Art Museum (Miami Florida, 2022), etc. His music has been played through the American, European and Asian continents. In 2000 Rocha spent seven months in Japan with a Japan Foundation Fellowship where he worked doing photography and sound installations. In 2001 he founded the radio art workshop LEAS in Radio Educación in Mexico City, He did a two-month residency in Caracas Venezuela with a grant in order to do photography and soundscape recordings.

He has worked also as a curator, being the co-founder and curator of the international sound art festival in Mexico City (1999-2002). He curated important sound art exhibitions such as Audio Elf in Colone Germany (2006), Sonoplastia at the MACO Museum (Oaxaca Mexico 2014), and Modos de Oír at the Laboratorio de Arte Alameda Museum (CDMX 2018). His music has been played by important international ensembles like the Arditti String Quartet, performers like Aki Takahashi, and in important venues such as Festival de Synthése in Bourges France, Ircam, festival Métamorphoses in Paris (GRM), Tokyo Opera Concert Hall, Red Cat (Los Angeles), Bellas Artes (Mexico), etc. Some of his artistic works belong to important art collections such as the MUAC museum and Colección Jumex in Mexico City and Segnigi Collection in Miami Florida.

Rocha Iturbide is a researcher on different aesthetic fields and on the history of electroacoustic music and sound art in Mexico and Latin America. He has published numerous essays and two books. He teaches currently at the UAM Lerma University in the field of Digital Arts and composition at UNAM.

PRIZES, GRANTS AND COMMISSIONS

1996-1997: two honorific mentions at the Bourges Electronic Music Contest (instruments and electronics, and tape music). 2006: first prize (tape program music).

1996-1997: second prize at the Russolo Electronic Music Contest (composition for instruments and electronics and tape alone). 2009 honorific mention at the Ars Electronica digital music contest.

2000: Japan Foundation grant, 8 moths in Tokyo Japan.

2013: 1800 Cuervo first prize at the MACO art fair in Mexico City.

2023: honorific mention in the Gigahertz ZKM contest.

2024: Laureat résidence Institut français x Cité internationale des arts, 9 months in Paris France.

He has been invited to different international conferences to present his work (The tuning of the world, 1993; The biennial of art and technology, Connecticut 1994; ICMC 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, and to music and art festivals such as ABSOLUTE MUSIK in Austria in 1995, Experimental Intermedia in NY USA 2001, Puddles in Japan 2004, VAE in Peru 2005, Sonica in Glasgow 2017, GRM Métamorphoses in France 2017, etc.

He has received commissions from the Jumex Collection, Festival International Cervantino, Arditti string quartet, Radio Clasica Spain, and other venues, and has received artistic grants such as Jóvenes Creadores from FONCA and the Banff Center for the arts. He has been a member of the Mexican grant system SNCA (national creators system) for four periods

INDIVIDUAL ART EXHIBITIONS

2023.- De Oído. In collaboration with Roberto Turnbull. Le Laboratoire Gallery., Mexico City.

2022.- Terra Nullius. Espacio boca. Mexico City, Mexico.

2020.- Taxonomías Isomórficas. Le Laboratorie Gallery. Mexico City, Mexico.

2017.- Accidentes Controlados. Espacio México. Montreal, Canada.

2016.-• ] entre [. Le Laboratoire Gallery. Mexico City, Mexico.

2014.- Geografías Agrestes. Centro de Cultura Digital. México City.

2014.- Geografías Agrestes. MACO Museum. Oaxaca Mexico.

2014.- Zona Vacía. Le Laboratoire Gallery. April 1st. México City.

2014.- La tensión extendida. Three Walls. San Antonio Texas EUA.

2013.- CON.TENSIONES. Fonoteca Nacional. November. México City.

2012.- Casi Nada. Experimentation space. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo MUAC. UNAM.

2011.- Cualquier semejanza con el original es pura coincidencia. Le Laboratorie Gallery. December. México City MEXICO.

2011.- I Play the Drums with Frequency. Xing Dong Cheng Space for Contemporary Art. Beijing China.

2008.- Composiciones. Exhibition with sound installations and photography. El Eco, Mexico City.

2004.- Intervención en el fuerte de San José. 23 zonas project. Campeche, Campeche.

2003.- Recognition of Space. In collaboration with Luciano Matus. Instituto de Mexico. Miami, Florida, USA. A parallel activity of Art Bassel Miami.

2002.- Reconocimiento del espacio. In collaboration with Luciano Matus. Templo de San Agustín, Centro Histórico, Mexico City.

2002.- “Offbeat Japan”. An internet exhibition at ZoneZero.com

2002.- LASCAS, un arte mexicano actual. AVATAR Space, Québec Canada.

2000.- "Rebicyling". Surge Galery. Tokyo Japan.

1999. - Reconstrucción de los hechos. Casa de la Cultura. Juchitan Oaxaca.

1999. - Reconstrucción de los hechos. Sixth international contemporary music festival of Bogotá Colombia.

1999. - In a fraction of a friction. ARCO 99. Project Rooms. Madrid, Spain.

1998. - Impasse. A one-person exhibition at the alternative space "Regina 51", Curated by Santiago Sierra.

1991. - Contemplation and Action. Mills College Concert Hall, Oakland, CA. Presentation of Video Art and a Video-Sound-Installation.

COLLECTIVE ART EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)

2024.- LOVE. Mexico City.

2023.- JAM Sessions. Galería GEM3.ART, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León México.

2023.- Cuando levanto una roca encuentro universos. Misivas de la materia. Galería Metropolitana. Mexico City.

2023.- Ethos. Le Laboratoire 15 años. Galería Le Laboratoire. Ciudad de México.

2022.- Beyond the sounds of silence. Latin-American Artists Connecting Sound, Art, and Society. LOWE Art Museum.

Curator: Adriana Herrera. Miami, USA.

2020.- Audiosferas. Reina Sofia Museum. Madrid Spain. Curator: Francisco López.

2020.- S.E.M. Sonidos de equilibrios metaestables. Freijo gallery. Madrid Spain. Curator: José Iges.

2019.- Zona Maco. Le Laboratoire in La Feria de Arte MACO. Centro Banamex. Cdmx. With the works:

"Conjoined" and "Invenciones a dos voces de Bach". CDMX.

2018.- Modos de Oir. Prácticas de arte y sonido en México. Ex Teresa Actual and Laboratorio de Arte

Alameda. Mexico City. With: "Partituras I, II y III", "La tensión extendida" and "Doble puntuación".

2017.- SONICA. Glasgow UK.

2016.- Zwhischen Grenchen. Kunstraum, Kreuzberg Bethanien. Curator: Carsten Seiffarth. Berlin, Germany.

2016.- Resonancias desde el jardín de las delicias. Una experiencia aural y de entropía. Museo de

Arte Carrillo Gil. Curator: Guillermo Santamarina. Mexico City, Mexico.

2016.- Sound Reasons. Vadehra Gallery. New Dehli India.

2015.- Différance. Galería Le Laboratoire. México DF. Curators: Manuel Rocha and Bárbara Perea.

2015.- Bruit Noir. Black Noise. Espacio México. Montreal Canada.

2014.- SONOPLASTIA. Museo MACO. Oaxaca MEXICO. Curators: Manuel Rocha Iturbide and Roberto Arcaute.

2014.- Art or Sound. Prada Foundation. Venice Italy. Curator: Michel Celano.

2013.- Zona Maco. Le Laboratoire Gallery at the MACO Art Fair. Centro Banamex. México City.

2013.- El Futuro hoy. Aldea Digital. Art and technology show at Infinitum Fair. Mexico City. Curated by Daniela Elbahara.

2013.- Cabinet de Curiosités. Le Laboratoire Gallery. México DF.

2012.- Futbol arte y pasión.MARCO Museum. Monterrey México.

2012.- The Return of the Gods. Arcaute Arte Contemporáneo. Beijing China.

2012.- El Baño de Frida. Frida Kahlo Museum, Coyoacán. México DF.

2012.- Serie de intervenciones para sitio específico. 50 Aniversario del centro cultural del bosque, Mexico City. Curated by Bárbara Perea.

2011.- Tiempo de Sospecha. Modern Art Museum. MAM. México DF.

2011.- Non Campos Mentis. Una mirada lúdica a la obsesión y otras delicias mentales. León Guanajuato MEXICO. Curated by Bárbara Perea.

2011.- Disponible. I kind of Mexican Show. School of the museum of fine arts. Boston USA.

2010.- Disponible. I kind of Mexican Show. McBean Galleries. San Francisco USA.

2007.- Principio de incertidumbre. Forum Internacional de las culturas. Monterrey México.

2007.- “Dimensión Sonora”. Koldo de Mitxelena, San Sebastían Spain.

2006.- "Plataforma Puebla 2006". La constancia. Puebla.

2006.- Ayer mañana. Cuenca, España

2006.- Los Angeles / México: complejidad – heterogeneidad. Colección Jumex. México DF.

2005.- “Mercosul Art Bienale”. Porto Alegre Brazil.

2005.- Juego Doble. Cultural Spain Center. Mexico City.

2004.- La Colemena. Colección Jumex. Mexico City.

2003.- "I Cube Project. Puddles". Tokyo Japan.

2003.- "Sound-Image". Laboratorio de Arte Alameda. Mexico City.

2003.- El Sentido y los sentidos. Gallery of the Universidad Latinoamericana, Mexico City.

2003.- Salon de Arte Bancomer. Modern Art Museum. Mexico City.

2003.- Winners of the Bienal Monterrey Femsa. Amparo Museum. Puebla Mexico and Museo de Arte de Zapopan. Guadalajara Mexico.

2002.- Experiencia Sonora. Museo de Bellas Artes. Caracas Venezuela.2001.- Nothing. Roseeum art building. Malmo Suiza. Curated by Graham Gussin.

2001.- Nothing. Roseeum, Malmo Art Space, Switzerland. Curated by Graham Gussin.

2001.- 4th FEMSA Biennale. Monterrey, Mexico.

2001.- Asamblea. Centro Cultural de Mexico. Paris France.

2001.- Eso…Third international sound art festival. Ex-teresa Arte Actual. Mexico DF.

2001.- Channel n. Kyoto Art Center. Kyoto Japan.

1999. - Ruido...First International Sound Art Festival. Sloan Galery.Mexico City.

1998. - 11th Biennial of Sidney. Sidney Australia.

1998. - "DOMESTICA". Project involving 9 artist’s interventions in 9 houses of La Condesa in Mexico City. Curated by Tomás Rivas.

1997. - "Lines of Loss". Art exhibit of 5 Mexican artists at Artists Space in New York. Curated by Gabriel Orozco. Participation with Sound installation in situ and music performance.

1997. - La resurrección del San Martín. San Martín building. México, DF. Sound installation in situ.

1997. - Third biennial of three-dimensional art. National Center for the Arts. Mexico City.

1995-1996. - Distant Relations. Itinerary Art exhibition presented at Icon Gallery, London. The Dublin Museum of Modern Art, Ireland. The Santa Monica Museum of contemporary Art, Sta. Monica, CA. The Carrillo Gil Museum. Mexico City.

1996. - En torno a Luis Buñuel". Art exhibition celebrating Luis Buñuel at Museo del instituto cultural de Morelos, Jardín Borda. Cuernavaca Mexico.

1996. - En otro lugar muy lejos de aquí. World trade center, Guadalajara MEXICO. Art exhibition at the international Art Faire FITAC. Curated by Guillermo Santamarina.

1995. - Cultural Center of Mexico. Paris France.

1995. - Filth biennial of art and technology in the University of Connecticut. 1995.

1994. - Figures d’origines. Chapelle de la Salpetrire, Paris France. Realization of a sound score for a multimedia luminografic concert by Jorge Orta.

1994. - Gallery Chantal Crousel, Paris France. Presentation of the sound installation "Ligne d’abandon" in collaboration with Gabriel Orozco.

1990. - The Day of the Dead. Galería de la Raza. San Francisco, CA. Art exhibit. Presentation of Performance "El Rey del Mambo".

1989. - Siete fotógrafos Latinoamericanos. in Festival Latinoamericano de Arte y Cultura" at Brasilia Brazil. Collective Photo exhibition.

1989. - A PROPOSITO. 14 obras en torno a JOSEPH BEUYS. Art installations exhibit in Convento del desierto de los Leones. Mexico City. Curated by Guillermo Santamarina.

1988. - Taller de los lunes. Collective photo exhibition at the Consejo Mexicano de fotografía (CMF) in Mexico City.

1987. - Ojos que no ven at the Fototeca in Havana Cuba. Collective Photo exhibition.

1986. - A un año del temblor. Milan Italy. Collective photo exhibition.

ORGANIZATION OF SOUND ART SHOWS AND

ELECTRACOUSTIC MUSIC CONCERTS

selection

2015.- Différance. Le Laboratoire Gallery. México DF. Curators: Manuel Rocha and Bárbara Perea.

2014.- La deconstrucción del paisaje. Photo show. Estampa Art Fair, Madrid España and Foro Sur, Cáceres España.

2014.- SONOPLASTIA. Museo MACO. Oaxaca MEXICO. Curators: Manuel Rocha Iturbide and Roberto Arcaute.

2013.- Soledades. Aislamientos Múltiples. Cuartor. Centro Cultural de España. Ciudad de México.

2011.- Transitio. Co-Curator of the electronic arts biennale. Centro Nacional de las Artes. Mexico City.

2006.- Oasis Sonoro-Sound Oasis. Co-Curator of a sound art installation with 12 international compositions for a 3D spacialization system. Bellas Artes. Mexico City.

2006.- Audio Elf. Curator. 10 comissions for 10 international composers. 5.1 Soccer based audio pieces shown in the exhibition scorecologne.net

2006.- Corredor Sonoro. Curator. 10 comissions for Mozart (The Magic flute Opera) based audio pieces shown in the music festival "Instrumenta Oaxaca 2006" (posponed for 2007).

2003.- II Festival Radar. Curator of the first retrospective of electroacustic music in México.

2002.- Generación espontánea. Curator of a electroacustic music concert with insect sounds for the international congress: Conocimiento Antiguo/Mundo contemporáneo in Oaxaca México.

2002.- Habitat Sonico…Cuarto Festival internacional de arte sonoro. Sound art festival co-organized with Guillermo Santamarina, director of the Ex-Teresa Museum in Mexico City.

2001.- Eso…Tercer festival internacional de arte sonoro. Sound art festival co-organized with Guillermo Santamarina, director of the Ex-Teresa Museum in Mexico City.

2000.- Humor y Aliento…Segundo festival internacional de arte sonoro. Sound art festival co-organized with Guillermo Santamarina, director of the Ex-Teresa Museum in Mexico City.

2000.- XII Festival Internacional de Música de Morelia. Curator of a international electroacustic music concert in Morelia Michoacan.

1999. - La Radia. Curator. Sound Installation and electroacustic music concert for the festival "Arte postal, hacia un nuevo Milenio". Oaxaca Mexico.

1999. - Ruido… Primer Festival Internacional de Arte Sonoro. Sound art festival co-organized with Guillermo Santamarina, director of the Ex-Teresa Museum in Mexico City.

1999. - "ACOUSMONIUM". Two Electroacustic Concerts at the "XI Festival Internacional de Música de Morelia". Morelia Mexico.

1998.- Encounter of Sound Art. A small festival of sound art in San Miguel de Allende Guanajuato, co-organized with Michael Bock.

1998. - Vox Electroacústica. A mega sound-installation acusmonium for diffusing sound poetry and electroacustic music based on language sounds. Antiguo Colegio de San Idelfonso Museum, Mexico City.

1997. - Distant Relations. Electroacustic Music of Mexican and Irish composers. Two concerts at the Carrillo Gil Museum of contemporary art.

CD's

• MEXICO ELECTROACUSTICO. Mexican electroacustic music history. 3 CD´s. 2008. You can buy here in this page, write to info@artesonoro.net.

• PERSONAE. Mexican electroacustic composers in collaboration with mexican poets. 2006. Buy.

• RAS No. 7. Revista de arte sonoro. Centro de creación de música experimental. Universidad de Castilla la Mancha. Cuenca España.2005. Buy.

• A través otra vez. CD of the sound installation presented in Centro cultural de España. Limited Edition, 50 CD’s.2005.

• Computer music journal. DVD Anthology. Volume 27 (4), 2003. DVD edited by the magazine Computer Music Journal. USA.

• Histories of the Future. Cabinet Magazine, NY EUA.

• Boom Box Project. Compositions of electroacustic soundscapes by Manuel Rocha Iturbide. Produced by the art foundation BVA Bancomer. México 2003.Limited edition, 300 CD's. Buy.

• Machin1. Obras electroacústicas de Manuel Rocha Iturbide, Salvador Rodríguez, Guillermo Acevedo, José Manuel Mondragón, Miguel Hernández y Víctor Romero.

• Eso. Antología de obras sonoras del tercer festival internacional de arte sonoro. Ex-Teresa Arte Actual. México 2001.

• Humor y Aliento . Antología de obras sonoras del segundo festival internacional de arte sonoro. Ex-Teresa Arte Actual. México 2000.

• Ruido ... . Antología de obras sonoras del primer festival internacional de arte sonoro. Ex-Teresa Arte Actual. México 1999.

• Ver. Revista audiovisual. No.2. Namdee Publishing Station. Bangkok Tailandia. 2001.

• Computer music journal. Sound Anthology. Volume 23, 1999. CD editado por la revista Computer Music Journal. USA.

• XIX CONCORSO INTERNAZIONALE LUIGI RUSSOLO DI MUSICA ELETTROACUSTICA. 1997.

• XVIII CONCORSO INTERNAZIONALE LUIGI RUSSOLO DI MUSICA ELETTROACUSTICA. 1996.

• "Ligne d’abandone". Electroacoustic Sound Art Work in collaboration with Gabriel Orozco. CD Edited by the gallery Crousel. Paris, France. 1996

• "Distant Relations". Two electroacustic compositions by Manuel Rocha Iturbide and Roger Doyle for the art exhibition "Distant Relations". CD Edited by Curator Trisha Ziff. 1995.

• "Figures d’origine". Luminographic concert in collaboration with Jorge Orta. CD Edited by the gallery Ivon Amor-Pallix. Paris, France. 1994.