"It was always drawing. Even if it was canvas, it was drawing with paint."
Drawing with paint
"Think about it. Eddie Martinez is making visual poetry." These are the words of art historian Phyllis Tuchman, and she's spot on. Martinez's paintings and sculptures are a wild ride with the flow and energy of Beat poetry or Dada wordplay. His infectiously energetic brush strokes and full-on compositions (which he often repeats again and again in slightly different ways) have a physical rhythm to them – like poetry, music or dance. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this comes from the nature of his studio practice. The way he paints and sculpts is athletic. Up and about, singing and often talking to hi...
Bio
Eddie Martinez (he/him) was born in 1977 at the Groton Naval Submarine Base in Connecticut, United States, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Venice Biennale
For the 2024 Venice Biennale, Martinez is representing the Republic of San Marino with his show Nomader, curated by Alison M. Gingeras. The title nods to the overall theme of this year's Biennale, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.
Museums
Martinez’s work has been the subject of museum shows worldwide, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, the Yuz Museum, Shanghai, the Bronx Museum, New York and Space K Gallery, Seoul. His work also appears in numerous collections, including Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. and Museo Nacional Reina Sofia, Madrid.
