Gabriel Martinez
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Martinez is a Cuban-American, interdisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, working mostly in photography, sculpture, installation and performance.
Martinez graduated from the University of Florida
in 1989 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography. He continued his education at Tyler School of Art
, Temple University
, earning his Masters of Fine Arts in Photography in 1991. Martinez attended the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting in 2003. Martinez was a Pew Fellowship in the Arts recipient in 2001 and was a Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship recipient in 2003. He has received two Individual Artists Grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
. Martinez has been an artist-in-residence at both the Fabric Workshop and Museum and at the Rosenbach Museum and Library, both in Philadelphia.
Martinez’s work over the last seventeen years has most often been focused upon the male body. Early on, Martinez used his own naked body in both photography and performance-based works. His work from about 1997 to present has in many ways embodied the homosexual male gaze upon the heterosexual male body. The work typically evokes tension and apprehension.
His best-known body of work perhaps is “Self Portraits by Heterosexual Men.” In 1998, Martinez created ambrotypes from ‘self-portraits’ recorded on 35mm film by one hundred, presumably straight men who took the shots at the point of manually, self-induced ecstasy (with the assistance of a cable release). In 2007, Martinez revisited this project arming the performers with a digital camera and a remote controlled shutter release with multi-exposure capabilities. This allowed the men to snap several photos during the time of expulsion and gave Martinez the ability to select the most expressive image for the individual giving insight on the location and objects the performer kept around at the time of the act. The project was composed of one hundred 20” x 30” framed c-prints.
Martinez held the position of Director of Graduate Photography Studies from 2004 to 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania
and is currently the Coordinator of Undergraduate Photography at University of Pennsylvania.
Martinez work has been exhibited extensively: the Philadelphia Museum of Art
(2006); Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL (2004); Philadelphia Art Alliance
(2003); Nexus Gallery, Philadelphia (1998, 1995); White Columns, New York, NY (1995). Over seventy group exhibitions since 1989, including Exit Art, NY (2006, 2005); Art Mur Gallery, Montreal, Canada (2005); Gallery Muu, Helsinki, Finland (2004); Athens Institute for Contemporary Art
, Athens, GA (2004); Miami Art Central, Miami, FL (2004); Goliath Visual Space, Brooklyn, NY (2004); Samson Projects, Boston (2004); Thread Waxing Space, New York, NY (2000); Cleveland Museum of Art
, Cleveland, OH (2000); Fabric Workshop & Museum, Philadelphia, PA (1998); Philadelphia Museum of Art
(1998, 1997); Franklin Furnace, New York (1997); Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
(1996); Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1995); ABC No Rio, New York (1992).
Martinez’s work is represented by Samson Projects in Boston where he had his first solo commercial gallery exhibition entitled “Self-Portraits” in November 2007. Samson Projects produced a catalog for this exhibition.
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Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, working mostly in photography, sculpture, installation and performance.
Martinez graduated from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1989 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography. He continued his education at Tyler School of Art
Tyler School of Art
The Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art, usually just referred to as Tyler School of Art is Temple University's school of art, which confers BFA and MFA degrees. The school was originally founded by sculptors Stella Elkins Tyler and Boris Blai on a separate 14-acre estate in Elkins Park...
, Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, earning his Masters of Fine Arts in Photography in 1991. Martinez attended the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting in 2003. Martinez was a Pew Fellowship in the Arts recipient in 2001 and was a Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship recipient in 2003. He has received two Individual Artists Grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is an agency serving the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.Established in 1966, its mission is "to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state." Each year...
. Martinez has been an artist-in-residence at both the Fabric Workshop and Museum and at the Rosenbach Museum and Library, both in Philadelphia.
Martinez’s work over the last seventeen years has most often been focused upon the male body. Early on, Martinez used his own naked body in both photography and performance-based works. His work from about 1997 to present has in many ways embodied the homosexual male gaze upon the heterosexual male body. The work typically evokes tension and apprehension.
His best-known body of work perhaps is “Self Portraits by Heterosexual Men.” In 1998, Martinez created ambrotypes from ‘self-portraits’ recorded on 35mm film by one hundred, presumably straight men who took the shots at the point of manually, self-induced ecstasy (with the assistance of a cable release). In 2007, Martinez revisited this project arming the performers with a digital camera and a remote controlled shutter release with multi-exposure capabilities. This allowed the men to snap several photos during the time of expulsion and gave Martinez the ability to select the most expressive image for the individual giving insight on the location and objects the performer kept around at the time of the act. The project was composed of one hundred 20” x 30” framed c-prints.
Martinez held the position of Director of Graduate Photography Studies from 2004 to 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and is currently the Coordinator of Undergraduate Photography at University of Pennsylvania.
Martinez work has been exhibited extensively: the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
(2006); Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL (2004); Philadelphia Art Alliance
Philadelphia Art Alliance
The Philadelphia Art Alliance is a multidisciplinary arts center located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. It is the oldest multidisciplinary arts center in the United States for visual, literary and performing arts...
(2003); Nexus Gallery, Philadelphia (1998, 1995); White Columns, New York, NY (1995). Over seventy group exhibitions since 1989, including Exit Art, NY (2006, 2005); Art Mur Gallery, Montreal, Canada (2005); Gallery Muu, Helsinki, Finland (2004); Athens Institute for Contemporary Art
Athens Institute for Contemporary Art
The Athens Institute for Contemporary Art is a non-profit 501 contemporary art gallery in Athens, Georgia.Lizzie Zucker Saltz, ATHICA's founder and director, began the institute in 2001 with the help of FiveArt, Inc., a group of local developers and arts boosters. FiveArt, Inc...
, Athens, GA (2004); Miami Art Central, Miami, FL (2004); Goliath Visual Space, Brooklyn, NY (2004); Samson Projects, Boston (2004); Thread Waxing Space, New York, NY (2000); Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
, Cleveland, OH (2000); Fabric Workshop & Museum, Philadelphia, PA (1998); Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
(1998, 1997); Franklin Furnace, New York (1997); Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
The Institute of Contemporary Art or ICA is a contemporary art museum located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum is associated with the University of Pennsylvania, and is located on its campus. The Institute is one of the country's leading museums dedicated to exhibiting the innovative...
(1996); Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1995); ABC No Rio, New York (1992).
Martinez’s work is represented by Samson Projects in Boston where he had his first solo commercial gallery exhibition entitled “Self-Portraits” in November 2007. Samson Projects produced a catalog for this exhibition.