FRIEZE LOS ANGELES

FRIEZE LOS ANGELESLilian Martinez

February 29 - March 3, 2024
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

OCHI is pleased to participate in the fourth edition of Frieze Los Angeles, to take place at the Santa Monica Airport from February 29 through March 3, 2024. The gallery will feature a solo presentation of new works by Mexican-American artist Lilian Martinez in Stand F 05. Curated by Essence Harden, Visual Arts Curator and Program Manager of the California African American Museum and co-curator of the 2025 Made in L.A. Biennial at the Hammer Museum, this year’s Focus section brings together a diverse group of artists who map Ecologies—of the environment, community, urban landscape, and labor systems.

Lilian Martinez makes paintings that depict bright and playful scenes of women at leisure. In alignment with Essence Harden’s ecologies, this new cycle of paintings explores a concept Martinez refers to as “boundless femininity,” one that gestures towards a world of agency, comfort, creativity, and abundance. Untethered from obligations to others, Martinez’s ladies practice mindful indulgence, follow their intuition, and live their best lives. With generous curves and radiant brown skin, these femme figures visualize their pleasures before manifesting them into reality—they admire sculptures in open air art museums, relax at home with their pets, get dressed to go out, muse over produce at their local farmers market, or nibble watermelon in the nude as the sun dries their clothes. Each vignette offers a quotidian narrative with unexpected details—a glass of green juice with lipstick on the rim, calla lilies in a pink bucket, a lobster, blue tabi Mary Janes, a woven rug pattern that features tiny pineapple, avocado, passion fruit, and coconut. Embodying a collective desire for brown women to occupy space peacefully, Martinez’s paintings proffer positive representations of bodies like her own as they celebrate inclusivity and classlessness.

Lilian Martinez (b. 1986, Chicago, IL) earned a BFA in Photography from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 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 lives and works in Los Angeles and is represented by OCHI.

A painting of a nude woman reclined and facing the viewer holding a watermelon. Beside her are lush green leaves and in the background, we see a clothesline hanging a white button up shirt, white nike socks, and a pink bra.Lilian Martinez Green Juice Passion Fruit (I Made this World for You), 2023 Acrylic on linen 50 x 65 x 2 in 127 x 165.1 x 5.1 cmA painting of a woman holding a pineapple, wearing pink pants and a pink bra facing the viewer, sitting atop a light beige rock in a body of blue water. Her legs are crossed and her right foot is barely entering the water, making a slight splash. In the background, we see a clothesline hanging large bags of fruit.A painting of three women lounging on a grassy field with a pink wall behind them. Two of the women are sitting at a table beside a dog enjoying fruits and a pink box of McDonald's french fries. The third woman is sitting on a picnic planket surrounded by fruit, shoes, a white button up shirt, and a Chicago Bulls vase. The pink wall in the background has a large arc shaped opening revealing more lush green foliage.A painting of a nude woman sitting on a pink couch with an orange beside her. In the foreground, a hand emerges from the bottom right corner as to hand the subject a bottle of Acqua Panna water. In the background, there is an opening in the room that reveals a lush green outdoor area with a basketball hoop and a basketball.A painting of a woman wearing pink pants and a green shirt posed with her arms out and legs crossed, facing the viewer. She is holding a bag of fruit in her left hand and is placed above green grass and yellow background with lush foliage surrounding. On the ground is a pink picnic blanket with a bottle of Acqua Panna water.A painting of a woman wearing a pink dress, reclining on a pink couch, and turning her head to face the viewer. There is a dog beside her, a tennis ball on the ground underneath the couch, and a pink cocktail next to it. The table beside her holds a bowl of lemons, a green candle with a pink bow, and a bottle of Acqua Panna water. Behind her is a pattern of thick blue and white stripes.A painting of a woman wearing a blue dress alongside a dog looking up at the sky with its tongue out. They are at a fruit stand and the painting puts the viewer at a distance behind the subject.A painting of a woman wearing green pants, pink heeled flats, and a blue bra reclining in a green chair. Below her are large green leaves and oranges, and on a table behind her is a papaya, a bottle of Acqua Panna water, a pink cup of McDonald's fries, and a candle. Through the open windows in the background, we see two nude figures playing basketball on a pink and green court.A painting of a woman sitting at a table, facing the viewer, wearing a chicago bulls t-shirt. Through the blue drapes behind her we see lush green foliage and below her is a rug with a fruit pattern decoration.A painting of a woman wearing green pants and a black bra facing the viewer. She is holding a pink lobster and is surrounded by green foliage, a watermelon, a bunch of bananas, and a candle.A wooden chair with a shelf under its seat. The seat and back rest cushions are woven and depict a pattern of black line drawings of a woman's face in front of a blue background.A wooden chair with a shelf under its seat. The seat and back rest cushions are woven and depict a pattern of black line drawings of a woman's face in front of a yellow background.A wooden chair with a shelf under its seat. The seat and back rest cushions are woven and depict line drawings of a dog and two people kissing, respectively. In the background is a field of green, pink, and light beige blocks of color.A wooden chair with a shelf under its seat. The seat and back rest cushions are woven and depict line drawings of leaves and a nude woman reclining, respectively. In the background is a field of blue, green, gray, and light beige blocks of color.

Press

  • Lilian Martinez
    5 Artists on Our Radar in March 2024
    Artsy
    March 5, 2024
    LINK

  • Lilian Martinez
    What Sold at Frieze Los Angeles 2024
    Artsy
    March 4, 2024
    LINK

  • Lilian Martinez
    How “Focus” Gallerists “Reflect the Aura of Los Angeles”
    Frieze Magazine
    February 27, 2024
    LINK

  • Lilian Martinez
    L.A. Art Week 2024
    Paris LA
    February 26, 2024
    LINK

  • Lilian Martinez
    Get Ready for Frieze L.A.
    Los Angeles Magazine
    February 26, 2024
    LINK

  • Lilian Martinez
    Women Artists to Watch at Frieze Los Angeles
    The Cut
    February 21, 2024
    LINK

  • Lilian Martinez
    Ecologies of the Present in “Focus” at Frieze Los Angeles 2024
    Frieze
    January 4, 2024
    LINK

  • Lilian Martinez
    Frieze LA | Art in View from Santa Monica’s Airfield
    Flaunt Magazine
    December 5, 2023
    LINK