Martha Ruiz-Perilla’s love for storytelling is evident in her writing, live performances, and artwork, which includes painting, sculpture, and installation. Her current work investigates facets of immigrant life in the context of parenthood, domesticity, and the viral pandemic. Ruiz Perilla’s work explores issues pertaining to folklore, popular belief, cultural hallmarks, isolation, and the Colombian diaspora. Her work is part of corporate, private, and public collections nationally and internationally. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, she was honored with the Christie’s Education Graduate Fellowship in 2001 and later earned a masters degree in Modern and Contemporary Art. A painter and performance artist for over 25 years, Ruiz Perilla’s has captivated audiences with her stories since the age of five, debuting with The Moth in 2016. She lives in New York with her children, her husband Marc, the fond memory of her dog Queso, and a whole lot of stories.
INTERDISCIPLINARY PRACTICE
Art Commissions (Select)
“DIEGO” Writer/Director. Animated short film. Commissioned by The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), Salem, MA, for Playtime. 2018
“Matt” Head portrait of New York Magazine film critic Matt Zoller Seitz. Commissioned for the promotion of the NYT Best Selling book “The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Abrams. 2014.
“New Ground” Curator. Invited by The Rockefeller Foundation to introduce Ugandan artist Daudi Karungi. 2008
“Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps” Art Consultant. Leased artwork for film production phase. 2009
“14 Founders” Commissioned by CreditEx Group, New York in commemoration of the company’s IPO.
“A Senra” Public Sculpture Designer. Commissioned by the government of A Coruña, Galicia (Spain).
Corporate Art (Select)
Planning, art direction, and installation:
Global Gaming Expo (G2E), Las Vegas, NV. Konami Holding Corporation. Japanese videogame conglomerate. Video-sculpture installation. 2010.
Marriot International, Atlanta, GA. 100 framed giclee prints installed in one of their newly built lodges. 2007.
Slater Capital Group, New York. Financial Advisory. !5 large format works for their Manhattan offices. 2006.
Bowne & Company (New York). Oldest publicly traded financial, marketing and business trading company. Custom-made artwork for their Wall Street offices. 2005.
Bank of America, Rockefeller Center, New York. 10 mural paintings on glass. 2005.
Red Rock Spa. Las Vegas, NV. Mural painting. 2005.
Artwork Exhibitions (Select)
“The Children of Tsunami.”Gallery Shoshinkan, Nagano, Japan.2010
“ Insectos y Retratos.” Fundación Valle de Lili, Colombia. 2006
“ Manhattan Bahnhof.” Mill Haus Galerie, Aschafenburg, Germany 2000
“America Reinterprets European Opera.” Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. New York, NY.1997
Art Acquisition and Development (Select)
On behalf of Asymptote Architecture, oversee loan and sale of architectural drawings and models, fulfilled RFQs and RFPs for architectural and design competitions:
Pan-American Architectural Biennale. Quito, Ecuador. 2005
Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan. 2004
Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam, Netherlands. 2004
Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe, Germany. 2004
Le Centre Pompidou. Paris, France. 2004
“Metamorph.” United States Pavillion Biennale Architettura. Venice, Italy. 2004
Guggenheim Museum Design Competition. Guadalajara, Mexico 2004
PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
“Entre Mundos: The Moth en San Juan.” First fully-delivered in Spanish show. San Juan, Puerto Rico (January 27, 2024)
"Leap of Faith." The Moth Fundraiser. Hosted by Amanda and Peter Low. New York, New York (October 7, 2021)
"The Moth and LEGO." Annual Executive Pan-American Meeting. Brewster, Massachusetts. (June 3, 2019)
"Healthcare with Emphasis on Care." Global Leaders Dialogue. Johnson & Johnson. Guest Speaker. Four Seasons Resort. Orlando, FL. (February 20, 2019)
"80 Minutes Around the World." Master of Ceremony. Caveat, New York (February 16, 2019)
"A More Perfect Union: The Moth at Park City." Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah. (January 28, 2019)
"80 Minutes Around the World." Caveat, New York (November 24, 2018)
"SoundBites: Mum's the Word" Frontier. Brunswick, ME. (May 17, 2018)
"Round (the) Table" Sound Bites. LIVE STORY TELLING. (November 10, 2017)
The Moth. Fundraiser. New York (NY). (October 25, 2017)
"Flirting With Disaster: The Moth in Nashville." Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Nashville (AL). (August 10, 2017)
"Save Me: The Moth in Huntsville." Thurber Arts Center. Huntsville (AL). (July 13, 2017)
"Don't Look Back: The Moth in Portland." State Theatre. Portland (ME). (June 8, 2017)
"All These Wonders: The Moth at San Antonio." Majestic Theatre. San Antonio (TX). (Apr 7, 2017)
"All These Wonders: The Moth at CAP UCLA." Royce Hall, UCLA. Los Angeles (CA). (Mar 21, 2017)
"Eyewitness: The Moth in El Paso." The Scottish Rite Theatre. El Paso (TX). (Mar 7, 2017)
"The Ties That Bind: The Moth at The Lowline Lab." Lowline Lab. New York (NY). (Feb 16, 2017)
"On the Brink: The Moth in Worcester." The Hanover Theatre. Worcester (MA). (Nov 2, 2016)
"Fever Pitch: The Annual Moth Member Show" The Great Hall at Cooper Union, New York (NY). (Nov 3, 2016)
AWARDS
Awarded a living-work space at Westbeth Artists Community in New York City on the base of merit. (2022)
“DIEGO” 1st Place. Short film/animation category. Georgia Latino Film Festival. 2021
“DIEGO” Finalist. Short film/animation category. Flickers’ Road Island International Film Festival. 2021
“A Senra Remembrance Monument.” 1st Place. Design Award. Municipality of A Coruña. Galicia, Spain. 2007
Salutatorian. Christie’s Education New York. Class 2002
Graduate Meritorious Fellowship. Christie’s Education New York. 2001
Merit Scholarship. Special Projects Assistant Archivist. Art Students League of New York. 1999
Merit Scholarship. Class Exhibition. Art Students League of New York. 1997
BIBLIOGRAPHY, RADIO, PODCAST
"Opposing Forces" in How to Tell a Story. By Meg Bowles, Jenifer Hixon Catherine Burns, et al. (Coming April 26, 2022).
“The Sublime Art of Perspective. Thoughts on the Aesthetic of Evolution.” Interview. Love Letters Journal. October 2020.
"Opposing Forces" in Best Sellers List. The New York Times. April 7, 2019.
"Opposing Forces" in “Weekly Picks.” People Magazine. April 1, 2019.
"Opposing Forces" in Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible. Edited by Catherine Burns. Crown Archetype. 2019.
“True Life Stories.” In BBC World Service. Outlook. Matthew Bannister. Interview (Aired November 29, 2017).
“Under the Gun.” Podcast. The Moth Radio Hour. Meg Bowles and Jay Allison. Atlantic Public Media.
“Jameson and the Windows.” Linea Magazine. 2007.
“Illuminated Rubbish: A Reconciling Portrait of Beauty by Tim Noble and Sue Webster.” Linea Magazine. 2004
Gregor A. Made to Order Artwork to fit a Corporate Budget. The New York Times. Business. 12 February 2006:22.
Ramirez A. Colombianos que se fueron a estudiar arte a Nueva York. El Tiempo. Lecturas Dominicales. Colombia. 24 January 1999: 01,06-07.
Windhausen R. Five Women in Soho. El Diario/La Prensa. Cultura. New York 13 July, 1997.
America Reinterprets European Opera at Lincoln Center. AHA! Hispanic ART News. New York February 1997: 7-8.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Editorial Manager, HAVAS HEALTH, NY. August 2014 - July 2018
Oversaw launch and completion of national and global advertising bilingual campaigns. Manage a team of 5-10 editors.
Senior Bilingual Editor. H4B CHELSEA, NY. August 2010 - July 2014
Primary bilingual editor for seven brands.
Language Localization. Consultant. 1999 - 2019
Senior translator or localizer of content intended for print and digital markets. Select clients: New York Metropolitan Museum, Combate Global, New York University, KONAMI Gaming, Altec Lansing.
EDUCATION
Masters in Modern and Contemporary Art and the Market. Christies Education, New York. 2002
In-depth study of the mid-19th century to the present day art market. Focus on the development of connoisseurship skills, cataloguing, writing, and current art business practices. Master of Arts Thesis: The Art Students League of New York Permanent Collection, 2002.
Certificate in Painting, Sculpture. The Art Students League of New York, New York. 1994 – 2001
Studied painting under the direction of master artist Larry Poons. Conducted research on the provenance of the artwork in the institution's private collection. Built a database encompassing all student artwork published in the annual catalogues of The Art Students League of New York between 1904 and 2003.
Pontifical Xavierian University, Bogotá, Colombia. DDS 1992
Out-patient and ER experience. Implemented educational oral health program. Thesis and Research: 3-year study (1989-1992) on children born with cleft palate, undergoing post-surgical orthodontic treatment.
PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIONS
Sirk Productions, 2010-Present
Creative Bilingual Consultant. Works in tandem with creative director in the design and localization of campaigns and programs targeted to Latino audiences. Selected projects include: Combate Global, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, U.S. Census 2020.
Galerie Richard, 2018
Management, Cataloguing and Administration Consultant. Re-organized entire existing gallery inventory. install exhibitions, revised online catalogue and supervised administrative staff.
Cornerstone, Managua, Nicaragua, 2015
Guest artist. Cornerstone is an organization dedicated to create and fund feeding programs for extremely impoverished communities in and around Managua. Activities include a Christmas program for approximately 500 children. The organization also sponsors feeding programs throughout the year targeting families and single mothers, and providing funds for educational alternatives to promote family balance and understanding through community interaction. The film “DIEGO” (2020) derives from this experience.
The Red Hook Initiative (RHI), 2012
Auctioned artwork (“Florencia” 2012) to benefit this community organization in Brooklyn, New York,. RHI works to confront and affect the consequences of intergenerational poverty through an approach that offers support in education, employment, health and community development.