Carlos Martiel Wins Maestro Dobel Latinx Art Prize

Carlos Martiel (1989, Havana, Cuba) is the first winner of the newly established Maestro Dobel Latinx Art Prize, a collaboration between the Museo del Barrio and the Mexican tequila brand Maestro Dobel. Martiel, based in Harlem (NY), will receive a $50,000 grant and a solo exhibition at El Museo del Barrio’s multidisciplinary space, Room 110, in the spring of 2024. The award will be given biannually and is aimed to promote the work of Latinx artists, who have been historically underrepresented in the art world, even though 62 million US citizens, or nearly 19 percent of the country’s population, are of Hispanic descent according to the 2020 US census.
“Martiel’s work beautifully explores the complexity and nuance of racism and racialization, gender, immigration, and the legacy of colonialism in the Americas. We are grateful for our partnership with Maestro Dobel Tequila, who shares our commitment to supporting Latinx artists in the United States,” said Patrick Charpenel, executive director of El Museo del Barrio, in a statement.
“I am honored to have been selected as the inaugural winner of the Maestro Dobel Latinx Art Prize, an award that celebrates my community and stresses the crucial role of Latinx art in the creative world,” said Martiel. “Through this prize, I am looking forward to producing new work that will continue to drive conversations on subjects that matter and shine a light on the importance of representation.”