Across his oeuvre, Eddie Martinez (b. 1977) brings together abstract and figurative motifs in non-traditional ways. His practice, which spans painting, works on paper and sculpture, is grounded in the act of drawing. Presenting a dynamic tension between immediacy and deliberation, the artist uses his day-to-day and existing work as a live visual archive. He frequently revisits earlier paintings and drawings, cutting out fragments and repurposing them in new compositions. Remnants of earlier works become active participants in the present moment, forming a tactile, fluid and evolving framework.
Imbued with personal iconography, Martinez’s works combine signature elements and recurring motifs, including flowerpots, butterflies, tennis balls and mandalas. Energetic and raw, his paintings employ bold colour and texture through various combinations of oil, enamel, spray paint, collage and detritus from the studio floor. In his ‘Whiteout’ (2015–) and ‘Blackout’ (2024–) series, white or black paint is used to obscure layers of colourful pigment in a process of erasure that engages with the canon of art history. In the artist’s hands, familiar forms mutate, collide and reappear in unexpected ways, creating sites where materiality, memory and intuition converge.
‘[Drawing is] the backbone of his work as a mature artist. Drawing provided Martinez with a sense of home, provided comfort, allowing him to explore his imagination as well as being a means of building community; in turn, drawing has become the generative motor of both his painting and sculptural practices. In essence, art has provided a conceptual and emotional scaffolding […]. This background has informed Martinez’s compulsion to roam freely between abstraction and figuration over his two-decade career.’
