Jamie Martinez, "Mercado"
Imitation avocados, bananas, cacao beans and plate covered with non-fired clay on jute bags and used Colombian coffee sacks
65” L x 65” W x 14” H
2022
The installation called “Mercado” serves as a commentary on the ongoing exploitation of land and labor in Central and South America by large corporations, solely driven by their pursuit of profit and wealth. It comprises of a heap of clay bananas, avocados, cocoa beans, and corn on top of used Colombian coffee burlap sacks, along with numerous small burlap bags. The installation aims to highlight how these companies exploit the land by overproducing goods for export, while grossly underpaying the workers who are responsible for cultivating these products. This way, the companies can channel more money towards their top executives, ignoring the plight of the laborers who work in deplorable conditions for meager wages.
STATEMENT
Through my work, I aim to create an interruption in the colonial environment we live in, inspire reflection on lost indigenous beliefs, explore the use of art as a protective tool into the afterlife, and provoke thought about the impact of human consumption on our world and the consequences of our actions.
BIO
Jamie Martinez (b. Ibagué, Colombia) is an interdisciplinary artist who explores the intersection of history, research, indigenous spirituality, and ancient beliefs. His art includes paintings, sculptures, and installations, that serve as a commentary on colonialism, mysticism, and the exploitation of Central and South American land and workers by large corporations. In his latest series “Mercado”, he sheds light on the consequences of greed and the harm it causes to the land and people. Additionally, Jamie uses art as a tool to navigate the unknown journey into the underworld, drawing inspiration from his personal obsession with the afterlife and the preparation required for the soul to reach it. Recently, Jamie experienced a life-altering fire that destroyed everything, yet he believes that the art he created protected him during that moment of darkness.
His work has been featured in major outlets such as Hyperallergic, CNN, New York Magazine, The Observer, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Yale University radio WYBCX, NTN24 (TV interview), Good Day New York (TV interview), Fox News (TV interview), Whitehot Magazine, Whitewall Magazine, and more. He has also exhibited at the Queens Musuem, Spring Break Art Show, Petzel Gallery, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery at the New School, Galerie Richard, Whitebox NY, The Gabarron Foundation, Flowers Gallery, Elga Wimmer PCC, Foley Gallery, Rush Gallery, and many more. Jamie is the publisher of ArteFuse, a contemporary art platform, and the founder and director of The Border Project Space featured in Hyperallergic’s top 15 shows of 2018.
Imitation avocados, bananas, cacao beans and plate covered with non-fired clay on jute bags and used Colombian coffee sacks
65” L x 65” W x 14” H
2022
The installation called “Mercado” serves as a commentary on the ongoing exploitation of land and labor in Central and South America by large corporations, solely driven by their pursuit of profit and wealth. It comprises of a heap of clay bananas, avocados, cocoa beans, and corn on top of used Colombian coffee burlap sacks, along with numerous small burlap bags. The installation aims to highlight how these companies exploit the land by overproducing goods for export, while grossly underpaying the workers who are responsible for cultivating these products. This way, the companies can channel more money towards their top executives, ignoring the plight of the laborers who work in deplorable conditions for meager wages.
STATEMENT
Through my work, I aim to create an interruption in the colonial environment we live in, inspire reflection on lost indigenous beliefs, explore the use of art as a protective tool into the afterlife, and provoke thought about the impact of human consumption on our world and the consequences of our actions.
BIO
Jamie Martinez (b. Ibagué, Colombia) is an interdisciplinary artist who explores the intersection of history, research, indigenous spirituality, and ancient beliefs. His art includes paintings, sculptures, and installations, that serve as a commentary on colonialism, mysticism, and the exploitation of Central and South American land and workers by large corporations. In his latest series “Mercado”, he sheds light on the consequences of greed and the harm it causes to the land and people. Additionally, Jamie uses art as a tool to navigate the unknown journey into the underworld, drawing inspiration from his personal obsession with the afterlife and the preparation required for the soul to reach it. Recently, Jamie experienced a life-altering fire that destroyed everything, yet he believes that the art he created protected him during that moment of darkness.
His work has been featured in major outlets such as Hyperallergic, CNN, New York Magazine, The Observer, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Yale University radio WYBCX, NTN24 (TV interview), Good Day New York (TV interview), Fox News (TV interview), Whitehot Magazine, Whitewall Magazine, and more. He has also exhibited at the Queens Musuem, Spring Break Art Show, Petzel Gallery, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery at the New School, Galerie Richard, Whitebox NY, The Gabarron Foundation, Flowers Gallery, Elga Wimmer PCC, Foley Gallery, Rush Gallery, and many more. Jamie is the publisher of ArteFuse, a contemporary art platform, and the founder and director of The Border Project Space featured in Hyperallergic’s top 15 shows of 2018.
Imitation avocados, bananas, cacao beans and plate covered with non-fired clay on jute bags and used Colombian coffee sacks
65” L x 65” W x 14” H
2022
The installation called “Mercado” serves as a commentary on the ongoing exploitation of land and labor in Central and South America by large corporations, solely driven by their pursuit of profit and wealth. It comprises of a heap of clay bananas, avocados, cocoa beans, and corn on top of used Colombian coffee burlap sacks, along with numerous small burlap bags. The installation aims to highlight how these companies exploit the land by overproducing goods for export, while grossly underpaying the workers who are responsible for cultivating these products. This way, the companies can channel more money towards their top executives, ignoring the plight of the laborers who work in deplorable conditions for meager wages.
STATEMENT
Through my work, I aim to create an interruption in the colonial environment we live in, inspire reflection on lost indigenous beliefs, explore the use of art as a protective tool into the afterlife, and provoke thought about the impact of human consumption on our world and the consequences of our actions.
BIO
Jamie Martinez (b. Ibagué, Colombia) is an interdisciplinary artist who explores the intersection of history, research, indigenous spirituality, and ancient beliefs. His art includes paintings, sculptures, and installations, that serve as a commentary on colonialism, mysticism, and the exploitation of Central and South American land and workers by large corporations. In his latest series “Mercado”, he sheds light on the consequences of greed and the harm it causes to the land and people. Additionally, Jamie uses art as a tool to navigate the unknown journey into the underworld, drawing inspiration from his personal obsession with the afterlife and the preparation required for the soul to reach it. Recently, Jamie experienced a life-altering fire that destroyed everything, yet he believes that the art he created protected him during that moment of darkness.
His work has been featured in major outlets such as Hyperallergic, CNN, New York Magazine, The Observer, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Yale University radio WYBCX, NTN24 (TV interview), Good Day New York (TV interview), Fox News (TV interview), Whitehot Magazine, Whitewall Magazine, and more. He has also exhibited at the Queens Musuem, Spring Break Art Show, Petzel Gallery, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery at the New School, Galerie Richard, Whitebox NY, The Gabarron Foundation, Flowers Gallery, Elga Wimmer PCC, Foley Gallery, Rush Gallery, and many more. Jamie is the publisher of ArteFuse, a contemporary art platform, and the founder and director of The Border Project Space featured in Hyperallergic’s top 15 shows of 2018.