He received B.A. degrees in Art and Art History as well as Latin American and Spanish literature from Williams.  In 1989, he completed his M.F.A. degree in sculpture from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Manglano-Ovalle investigates diverse subjects such as technology, climate, immigration and the global impact of social, political, environmental, and scientific systems. Often working in partnership or employing technical experts across multiple disciplines including engineering, architecture, genomics, and climatology, Manglano-Ovalle produces objects that are often technically complex, formally captivating, and conceptually engaging. His early work focused on collaborative explorations with young people in his hometown of Chicago, which led to the founding of Street-Level Youth Media, a community arts organization for youth in 1993.  Across multiple independent projects executed during the same period, Manglano-Ovalle explored a multi-faceted and socially-focused approach to art making, blending layered concepts with a variety of materials both typical and unorthodox.  Incorporating objects such as identification cards in Assigned Identities (1991) or automobile tires in Flotilla (1991), Manglano-Ovalle made reference to the difficulties surrounding illegal immigration into the United States. In the sculptural works Bloom (1995–96) and Subwoofer (1995), Manglano-Ovalle utilized ballistic gelatin, firearms and car sound systems to explore notions of violence and division.  His noted film trilogy Le Baiser/The Kiss (1999), Climate (2000), and In Ordinary Time (2001) focused on the architecture of Mies van der Rohe and the implications of Modernism.  More recently, he has employed genomic and meteorological methodologies to explore issues of race, identity, and the promise and threat of technology in works such as Cloud Prototype No. 1 (2003) and Portrait of a Young Reader (2006).        

Manglano-Ovalle has exhibited his work at acclaimed institutions both nationally and internationally. Selected one-person exhibitions include Focus: Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, The Art Institute of Chicago (2005), The Krefeld Suite, Museum Haus Esters and Haus Lange, Krefend, Germany (2005), Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey and Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City (2004), Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Sala de Exposiciones de la Fundación "la Caixa", Madrid, Spain (2003), White Flags, Barcelona Pavilion, Fundación Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, Spain (2002), and Balsero, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (1997), among many others. Group exhibitions include the Liverpool Biennial (2004 and 2006), Moving Pictures, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain (2002 and 2003), Tempo, Museum of Modern Art, New York (2002), Bienal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (1998), and the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2000). He has received the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship (2001), the Media Arts Award from the Wexner Center for the Arts (1997), and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship (1995). 

He is Professor at Department of Visual Arts, University of Chicago and is represented by Max Protetch Gallery, New York and Galeria Soledad Lorenzo, Madrid.

The Annual Plonsker Lecture in Contemporary Art
The Plonsker Family Lecture Series in Contemporary Art was established in 1994 by Madeleine Plonsker, Harvey Plonksker (Class of ’61) and their son, Ted Plonsker (Class of ’86), to examine current issues in contemporary art. “New art tells us much about who we are now,” says WCMA’s Director Lisa Corrin, “this series provides our community with the opportunity to be exposed to challenging art by enabling us to bring distinguished practitioners like Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle. We are especially fortunate to have alumni families, like the Plonskers, whose support and generosity make programs like this possible.”

The Williams College Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free and the museum is wheelchair accessible. Publicity images for this exhibition and other current exhibitions are available for use by the press. Contact: Suzanne A. Silitch, Director of Public Relations and External Affairs, 413.597.3178; www.wcma.org.

Publicity Images Available