Marcelo Toledo
Bio
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Marcelo Toledo is a visual artist and goldsmith. His delicate, handcrafted jewelry work has
expanded into large-scale installations and three-dimensional pieces. He learned the traditional techniques of goldsmithing with
Edgar Michaelsen between the ages of 14 and 20.
He completed art clinics with Fabiana Barreda and Leila Tschopp. He began working with traditional metal objects—such as
rings, mate cups, and straws—and later transitioned into contemporary jewelry design and visual arts. He is permanently based
in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, where he runs his own workshop and art gallery.
In November 2023, he was recognized by the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires as a Distinguished Cultural Figure.
He has exhibited in numerous museums and galleries across Argentina, including the Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Art Collection
(Buenos Aires), the José Hernández Museum (Buenos Aires), Museo Estevez (Santa Fe), and the Museum of Fine Arts of
Corrientes, among other major institutions in the country.
Internationally, he participated as a guest at New York Fashion Week in 2009 and Paris Fashion Week in 2013. In 2010, he was
the only visual artist and goldsmith invited to take part in the Bicentennial Exhibition organized by the Argentine Ministry of
Culture at Expo Shanghai—an event visited by over four million people. The exhibition was also presented in Moscow at the
Tseretelli Museum in May 2010.
In 2007, he participated in the first edition of the Bienal del Fin del Mundo in Ushuaia. That same year, he presented a collection
of over 200 recreated pieces (jewelry and objects) based on photographs, videos, and auction catalogs of the time, at the Evita
Museum in Buenos Aires. This exhibition later traveled to Venezuela, New York, Shanghai, and Brazil. He was commissioned to
create jewelry for the Broadway musical Evita, as well as for the film Evita starring Christina Aguilera.
His works have been exhibited in institutions across China, the United States, Mexico, Uruguay, Russia, Ukraine, and other
countries.
He currently lives and works between Buenos Aires and New York.
Statement
My works extend the delicacy and expertise of goldsmithing. Although they exceed the scale of typical jewelry, their burnished surfaces hold the allure that beats at the heart of the metal. My pieces are characterized by their strength, integrity, and self-sufficiency, requiring no physical form to complement or embellish. This liberation from physical constraints has led me, as an artist, to explore irregular shapes and organic principles derived from nature. Imagery such as nests, branches, spiderwebs, and creatures and masks with basic lines appear repeatedly in my work, drawing us into a universe of fluid dynamics and elemental structures. While it's impossible to ignore the solidity of the materials
I work with, the figures appear ethereal, possessing a sense of
lightness that seems to detach itself from the force of gravity and project itself into
space with freedom and ease, transcending the mere mixture of hard and soft materials.
My aim is to work with a forward-looking vision, hand in hand with nature and sustainable ecosystems. These are avant-garde and sustainable works that recover the ancestral
artisanal skills of our culture.
2.5 x 4m / 98.4 x 157 in
