Lilian Martinez
Open Studio: Golden Foundation
New Berlin, New York
November 14, 5pm – 7pm
Lilian Martinez makes work that blends representation and iconographies of the past with the present and an imagined future, combining classical architectural elements with contemporary pop cultural references to create the settings for her portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. Her flat, bold style recalls iconic predecessors, while her impetus to center brown bodies that have historically been essentialized, if not omitted altogether, from these sorts of historical artworks recontextualizes the roles of the artist and subject at once. Martinez’ figures are usually engaged in everyday leisure activities, and her work indulges color and mood, all while maintaining a charming nonchalance. Even in the works bold simplicity, a matrix of historical and cultural signifiers exposes a boundlessness, both in connection through nostalgic specificity and limitlessness in the lack thereof.
Martinez (b. 1986, Chicago, IL) earned a BFA in Photography from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Alongside her studio-based practice, Martinez operates BFGF, a lifestyle brand that produces accessible and functional art objects. Martinez’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues including the Green Family Art Foundation in Dallas, TX; Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA; The Naughton Gallery in Belfast, Ireland; Gallery Commune in Tokyo, Japan; Taymour Grahne in London, United Kingdom; and OCHI in Sun Valley, ID and Los Angeles, CA. Her work has been featured in publications such as Frieze, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, ARTnews, apartamento, Juxtapoz, LALA Magazine, Nationale, ArtPractical, and AUTRE. Martinez is represented by OCHI.
Born 1986 in Chicago, IL
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
BFA The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Artist Residency, Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, New Berlin, NY
Honoree, Frieze Los Angeles Artist Luncheon, The Cultivist, Los Angeles, CA
Artist Residency, Macedonia Institute, Chatham, NY
Facebook Artist in Residency Program, Menlo Park, CA
Nike, Beaverton, OR
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Xiao Museum, China
Lilian Martinez
Women & Dogs
Artforum Must-See
September, 2024
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Lilian Martinez
What Sold at Frieze Los Angeles 2024
Artsy
March 4, 2024
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Lilian Martinez
How “Focus” Gallerists “Reflect the Aura of Los Angeles”
Frieze Magazine
February 27, 2024
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Lilian Martinez
L.A. Art Week 2024
Paris LA
February 26, 2024
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Lilian Martinez
Get Ready for Frieze L.A.
Los Angeles Magazine
February 26, 2024
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Lilian Martinez
Women Artists to Watch at Frieze Los Angeles
The Cut
February 21, 2024
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Lilian Martinez
Ecologies of the Present in “Focus” at Frieze Los Angeles 2024
Frieze
January 4, 2024
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