about
TONDOsmiling is a duo formed by Lucía Cristóbal Marín and Ramón López de Benito. They work together
but in separate physical spaces, Germany and Spain, developing their works on the network and through the
network. They work only with existing internet material, proposing a critical review of the experience of image
and communication in the post-internet era and focusing their attention on the individual's ability to
recognize themselves in a connected society that is changing our behaviors at the global level.
They have participated in various individual and collective international exhibitions, in countries such Spain, India, Finland, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Holland, as well as in Art fairs, scholarships and artistic residencies in Europa (Art Karlsruhe, Sotheby's, Christie' s, Artward, Arteles, ...). Their work is represented in prestigious collections such Bayerische Architektenkammer, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo MEFIC or in private collections. Their work has been recognized with awards.
Lucía Cristóbal Marín has a degree in Fine Arts from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, is an Interior Architect from the Universidad Politécnica of Madrid and a M.A. Architect from the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich with Professor Carlo Baumschlager. During the last eight years she has developed her career in the field of arts, where she has worked on painting, video art, installation, image, and architecture. She has participated in various exhibitions, as well as in different scholarships and artistic residencies in Europa. Her artistic activity has also been recognized with awards.
Ramón López de Benito is Doctor in Fine Arts from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid. Currently he is Professor in this university in the area of new technologies applied to artistic creation. Parallel to the teaching activity, he develops his artistic career oriented his research on new technological resources applied to art. This activity has been recognized with different awards and distinctions. He is also the author of numerous books and publications of didactic and investigative character.
They started their artistic activity in video creation with the production of their first documentary feature "Color en Matruchaya", acquired by Spanish television, and presented by La Noche temática several times between 2009 and 2011.
In 2014 they presented an experimental film, "La sombra de la madre", which explores from an artistic perspective, the borders between documentary and fiction, and was premiered at the Imagineidia International Film Festival.
TONDOsmiling was founded in 2017 and focuses on visual production, video art and installation, with the creation of art installation, which experiments with the possibilities of video, images, painting, architecture, and new technologies. The research addresses the aesthetic experience of the image as a myth in the post-internet era. The work raises the debate on the new paradigms of the image and the connected society.
LUCÍA CRISTÓBAL MARÍN
11/15/1984
2011-2016 Master in Architecture with Professor Carlo Baumschlager, Akademie der Bildenden Künste,Munich, Germany
2004-2011 Degree in Fine Arts, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
2004-2008 Degree in Interior Architecture, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de la Universidad Politécnica, Madrid, Spain
2003 Studies for foreign students, Penn State University, Pensilvania, USA
Lucía Cristóbal Marín has a degree in Fine Arts from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, Spain. She studied architecture with professor Carlo Baumschlager at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste München and she is co-founder of the artistic group TondoSmiling. During the last years she has developed her artistic career in the city of Munich. She took part in various exhibitions and scholarships in Europe and she received awards and recognition.
RAMÓN LÓPEZ DE BENITO
11/2/1967
2015 Doctor in Fine Arts, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
1995 Degree in Fine Arts, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
Ramón López de Benito is Doctor of Fine Arts from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, Spain, and he is co-founder of the artistic group TondoSmiling. At the moment he is Professor in this university in the area of new technologies applied to artistic creation. At the same time he works as an artist and he developed projects with new technologies. He focused his studies on the digital environment. He received awards and recognition at the national level. Also he is the author of various books and publications of didactics and investigation.
Individual exhibitions
2022 PROYECTO CONNETING, Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid, Spain.
2018 LOADING, convergencias y transformaciones, Centro de creación Palacio de Quintanar, Castilla y León, Spain.
2017 Drei Lyrischer, Munich, Germany
2015 Encounters and beginnings, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany
2015 An essay on Munich, BHF Bank, Germany
2014 Artemis Group, Munich, Germany
2013 On the Image, Gallery WasserTurm 39, Munich, Germany
2012 Moments, Arte Vistas Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2011 Looks and Reflections. Montón de Trigo Montón de Paja Gallery, Segovia, Spain
Collective exhibition and selections
2023 NFTs muss weg!, xcircle, Munich, Germany.
2023 Glitch showProyector Festival, Est Art_space, Madrid, Spain.
2023 Des Ilusiones, Est Art_space, Madrid, Spain.
2021 Fundación Caja Segovia, Torreón de Lozoya, Segovia, Spain.
2020 Under the Subway Video Art Night New York, USA.
2020 MADATAC, Playing a Dürers painting, EUROBUILDING, Madrid, Spain.
2019 EAC, Encuentros de Arte contemporáneo, MUA (Museo de la Universidad de Alicant) Alicante, Spain
2018 Versos de Machado, Centro de creación La Carcel, Segovia, Spain.
2018 Aquí y Ahora, Galería Blanca Soto , Madrid, Spain.
2018 El Almacén de las Artes, Certámen Internacional de Videoarte, Gobierno de Cantabria, Spain.
2017 ZIMMER FREI, Hotel Mariandl, Munich, Germany.
2017 Benefiz-Kunstauktion, Sotheby’s, Munich, Austria.
2017 Open Art, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2017 Factory Art, Alicante, Germany.
2017 Open Ateliers Super +, Munich, Germany.
2017 Arteles, Tampere, Finland.
2017 Go to paradise, Kunstarkaden, Munich, Germany.
2017 FORM-A(R)T, Kunstverein, Hamburg, Germany.
2017 Karlsruhe Kunstmesse 2017, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2017 Diplomausstellung 2017, ADBK, Munchen, Germany.
2016 PIN Auktion, Christie´s auction House, Pinakothek der Moderne. Munich, Germany.
2016 Junge Kunst, Marktoberdorf, Germany.
2015 Kleines Format, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2015 Accrochage&Sommerfest, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2015 Karlsruhe Kunstmesse 2015, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2015 First View, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2014 Dreiklang, Filser und Gräf Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2013 Sammlung Campoi, Dusseldorf, Germany.
2013 Stille SPKTKL. Munikat, Munich, Germany.
2012 Hello A.G., Munich, Germany.
2012 Prize BMW, Casa de Vacas, Madrid, Spain.
2012 WasserTurm 39 Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2011 JungArt Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
2011 Exhibition of the grant holder of Palacio del Quintanar, Real Academia de San Quirce, Segovia, Spain.
2011 Trojan horse, Riga, Lithuania.
2010 Visión de Futuro, Galería Nolde, Madrid, Spain.
2010 Collective exhibition, Instituto Cervantes, Munich, Germany.
2010 Beca de Ayllón 2010, Palacio del Vellosillo, Ayllón, Spain.
2010 A Love History, Galería Two Head Chicken, Portugal.
2009 Corpórea 2008, Museo de la Universidad de Alicante, Spain.
2009 Exhibition hall Ca la Villa, Llíria, Valencia, Spain.
2009 Exhibition hall Palacio La Audiencia, Mujeres de este mundo, Soria, Spain.
2008 Casa de América (III Concurso de escultura figurativa 2008), Madrid, Spain.
2008 Fundación Fran Laurel, El Poble Espanyol, Barcelona, Spain.
2008 Exhibition hall O.T Oropesa del Mar, Castellón, Spain.
2008 L´Arcada Gallery, Girona, Spain.
2008 Palacio La Audiencia, Soria, Spain.
2007 Thyssen Bornemisza (II Concurso de escultura figurativa 2007), Madrid, Spain.
2007 Cuatro Diecisiete, Madrid, Spain.
2005 Prize Universo del Quijote. Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
2003 Feria de Arte Independiente de Madrid, Spain.
1993 LIV Exposición Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Valdepeñas, Spain.
1993 Eshbition Premios Villa de Madrid, Spain.
1993 III Mostra Unión Fenosa, La Coruña, Spain.
1992 Salón del Debutante, Holanda, Spain.
1991 Facultad de Bellas Artes, Spain.
Grants
2017 Arteles, Tampere, Finlannd
2017 Ateliermietzuschüsse, Landeshauptstadt Munich, Kulturreferat, Germany.
2012 Scholarship, Sommer Akademie Salzburg, Austria.
2011 Painting scholarship, Palacio del Quintanar, Segovia, Spain.
2011 International Mosaic Symposium, Riga, Lithuania.
2010 Erasmus Scholarship, Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Munich, Germany.
2010 Painting scholarship, Beca de Ayllón, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
2010 Scholarship of collaboration project, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain and Guyarat, India.
Prize and honourable mentions
2019 Second Prize, EAC, Fundación Juan Gil, Diputación de Alicante, Spain.
2018 Prize Certámen Internacional de Videoarte, El Almacén de las Artes, Gobierno de Cantabria, Spain.
2017 First Prize, Artward, Germany.
2016 Finalist, Junge Kunst, Marktoberdorf, Germany.
2012 Finalist, Premios BMW, Spain.
2012 Finalist, Kahnweilerpreis, Germany.
2012 Finalist, Combat prize, Libomo, Italy.
2011 Finalist, JungArt Berlin 2011, Germany.
2010 Navas Company, Castilla y León, Spain.
2009 Honourable mention III Concurso de Pintura y Escultura Figurativas, Spain.
2008 Finalist, III Concurso de Pintura y Escultura Figurativas, Spain.
2008 First Prize “Certamen de Escultura Oropesa del Mar”, Spain.
2007 Finalist, II Concurso de Pintura y Escultura Figurativas, Spain.
2005 First Prize ,“Universo del Quijote”, Comunidad de Madrid. Spain.
2004 Finalist, investigación Fundación Picasso Málaga, Spain.
Documentary
2014 “La Sombra de la Madre”, 73 minutes
2010 “Color en Matruchaya”, 45 minutes
2009 “Procesos”, Museo Nacional de Escultura, Valladolid, Spain
Press
2019 Versos de Machado.
2018 Loading, convergencias y transformaciones, Norte de Castilla .
2018 El almacén de las Artes,El diario de Cantábria.
2015 Deuca Tuco Magazine.
2011 Adelantado de Segovia.
2011 Extracrew.
Collections
2019 Fundación Juan Gil, Diputación de Alicante, Spain.
2018 Fundación Siglo, Castilla León, Spain.
2018 Fundación Caja Segovia, Torreón de Lozoya, Segovia, Spain.
2018 Ayuntamiento de Astillero, Santander, Spain.
2017 Museo Pego, Alicante, Spain.
2016 Bayerische Architektenkammer, Munich, Germany.
2011 Real Academia de San Quirce, Segovia, Spain.
2011 Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
2010 Palacio del Vellosillo de Ayllón, Segovia, Spain.
2008 Oropesa del Mar, Castellón, Spain.
2008 Centro de Arte Contemporaneo MEFIC, Spain.
2007 Parador Nacional de La Granja, Segovia, Spain
2004 ANAA, Spain.