through his multidisciplinary practice, patrick martinez creates works that reflect on the ever-evolving landscape of los angeles, considering the passage of time and its impact on the lived environment and, by consequence, on the multicultural communities that call it home. martinez’s large-scale multi-media paintings often incorporate vinyl banners, window bars, neon and tile atop obscured depictions of the city landscape. these abbreviated history paintings draw from the rich latinx visual traditions of east los angeles and beyond, placing an ephemeral mural tradition with deep roots in local mexican american histories in dialogue with the larger urban landscape with which it often finds itself at odds. from mayan warriors to flowering bougainvillea, from emiliano zapata to feathered serpents, from sitting bull to the labor organizer and activist larry itliong, martinez’s imagery is culled from a variety of mesoamerican, latin american, latinx, filipinx, and indigenous sources, yet stand together as part of a larger communal cultural legacy that spans across communities in the region as well as in many parts of the united states. martinez’s new form of history painting does not just take part in this shared legacy but proposes a deeper consideration of the ephemerality of these visual narratives that often illustrate the sides of community centers, primary schools, and corner markets. thanks to the turnover of these spaces, adapted by each new generation’s cast of characters, this history becomes all the more complicated with the passing of time, reflecting the rich exchange ignited by the natural migration of peoples. weaving these histories together, his works become a metaphorical cultural map, reflective of the diversity of los angeles and the communities martinez finds himself connected to.

while calling our attention to the evolution of these histories and the resilience of these communities, martinez reminds his viewers to reflect on those histories that are being made, acknowledging inequities within the criminal justice and education systems, and immigration enforcement replete with ethnic and socio-economic disparities. responding to these contemporary cultural and political conditions, martinez also creates text works out of neon that bring awareness to socially important causes, lending hope by combating darkness with light. using familiar vernaculars as his means of communication, martinez metaphorically breaks down the gallery walls, bringing shared artifacts, sentiments, memories, and energies of los angeles, and all latinx communities like it, into the museum space.

patrick martinez, feather serpent in nopales, stucco, neon, mean streak, ceramic, acrylic paint, spray paint, latex house paint, ceramic tile and tile adhesive on panel 5ft x 10ft 2024. photo yubo dong (ofstudio)

portrait of patrick martinez. photo: johanna brinckman

patrick martinez (b. 1980, pasadena, ca) earned his bfa with honors from art center college of design in 2005. his work has been exhibited domestically and internationally in los angeles, mexico city, san francisco, minneapolis, miami, new york, seoul, and the netherlands, and at venues including the whitney museum of american art, the museum of contemporary art, los angeles, the brooklyn museum, crystal bridges museum of american art, the studio museum in harlem, the smithsonian national portrait gallery, the smithsonian nmaahc, the tucson museum of art, the buffalo akg museum, the columbus museum of art, the vincent price art museum, the museum of latin american art, the crocker art museum, the rollins art museum, the california african american museum, the nerman museum of contemporary art, and el museo del barrio, among others. 

patrick’s work resides in the permanent collections the whitney museum of american art, the broad museum, crystal bridges museum of american art, the museum of contemporary art los angeles (moca), the rubell museum, the smithsonian national museum of american history, the california african american museum, the autry museum of the american west, the benton museum of art at pomona college, the nerman museum of contemporary art, the smithsonian national museum of african american history and culture, the los angeles county museum of art (lacma), the tucson museum of art, the pizzuti collection of the columbus museum of art, the university of north dakota permanent collection, the jpmorgan chase art collection, the crocker art museum, the escalette permanent collection of art at chapman university, the manetti-shrem museum of art at uc davis, the rollins museum of art, and the museum of latin american art, among others. 

patrick was awarded a 2020 rauschenberg residency on captiva island, fl. in the fall of 2021 patrick was the subject of a solo museum exhibition at the tucson museum of art entitled look what you created. in 2022, patrick was awarded a residency at the atlantic center for the arts. currently, patrick’s suite of ten neon pieces purchased by the whitney museum of american art is on yearlong exhibition installed in the kenneth c. griffin hall in the entrance of the museum. in september 2023, patrick opened a solo exhibition at the ica san francisco titled ghost land and in november of 2023 patrick exhibited desire, knowledge, and hope (with smog) at the broad museum in los angeles, ca. patrick lives and works in los angeles, ca and is represented by charlie james gallery, los angeles.

dallas contemporary acknowledges the traditional custodians of land throughout the united states of america. we recognize that the north texas region, the land on which we gather, has been occupied by multiple indigenous groups thanks to its proximity to the arkikosa or daycoa river, today referred to by many as the trinity. this place has been home to and a place of respite and passage for many including the caddo and wichita peoples, along with the nomadic comanche and kiowa and ancestral tribes including the arkikosa, atakapa, karankawa, tawakoni, among others. we pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all indigenous groups today.

patrick martinez: histories is curated by rafael barrientos martínez. the realization of this exhibition is made possible through the generous support of anonymous, dallas art fair foundation, christy + steven williams, charlie james gallery, judelson family foundation, kasey + todd lemkin, jane weempe / elleco construction, ann + john mcreynolds, shayna + rand horowitz, sheryl + eric maas, calodney advisory, mark moussa