Michael Martinez is a conceptual artist whose work deconstructs false dichotomies surrounding desire and the expression of gender. Employing a multidisciplinary praxis, Martinez seeks to underscore the diversity of the human condition via New Media, Installation, and Live Performance.

A Texas native, Martinez studied Intermedia at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, in Portland, Oregon from 2009 to 2013. A professional artist since 2012, Martinez has featured work within institutions including the McNay Art Museum, The Center for the Arts at Albright College, and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Additionally, Martinez has exhibited work abroad, via the Student Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia. Currently, Martinez lives and works in San Antonio, Texas.

Education & Awards

2018 Culture Commons Project Grant, City of San Antonio: Department of Arts & Culture, San Antonio, TX

2018 CAMMIE Award, Presented by Contemporary Art Month, San Antonio, TX

2017 CAMMIE Award, Presented by Contemporary Art Month, San Antonio, TX

2009 - 2013 — Intermedia, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR

Selected Professional Affiliation

2019 NALAC Fund for the Arts Peer Reviewer — National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, San Antonio, TX

2018 - 2019 Transamerica/n Committee Member — McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX

2017 - 2019 Marketing Research Contractor — Epiphany Research & Marketing, San Antonio, TX

2015 Art Installer & Gallery Preparator — Galería Guadalupe, San Antonio, TX

2015 Bexar County — BiblioTech Digital Library Outreach Temp, San Antonio, TX

2013 - 2014 Froelick Gallery — Art Handler & Customer Service Assistant, Portland, OR

Solo & Two Person Exhibitions

2019 Nobody Truly Lives on Earth — Center for the Arts | Albright College, Reading, PA

2017 Who the #@!? Is Michael Martinez — Flax Studio, San Antonio, TX

2017 Lujuria — AP ART LAB, San Antonio, TX

2017 Te Voy A Conquistar — Jump-Start Performance Company, San Antonio, TX

2016 Profiling Made Visible, Curated by David S. Rubin — Bihl Haus Arts, San Antonio, TX

2015 Nothing Overtly Political — 1906 Gallery & Studios, San Antonio, TX

2015 New Works by Michael Martinez & Charlie Young, Lady Base Gallery at Studio Fantomas, San Antonio, TX

2014 Detribalized Aztec — Lincoln Hall. Portland State University, Portland, OR

2013 Only To Dream — White Gallery, Portland State University, Portland, OR

Group Exhibitions

2020 (re)connect: A Social Distance Exhibition — Big Moon Art House, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Dream Address: DA-0414-5851-1428, San Antonio, TX.

2020 Clothe — Mantle Art Space, San Antonio, TX

2019 Forward! Marches That Move Us — Blue Star Arts Complex | Unit 134, San Antonio, TX

2019 Trans America/n: Gender, Identity, Appearance Today — McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX

2018 Right Here, Right Now: San Antonio — Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston, TX

2018 We Are — Culture Commons Gallery, Department of Culture and Creative Development of San Antonio, TX

2018 Thread — Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2017 Young Latino Artists 22: ¡Ahora! — Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX

2017 Outwork — First Congregational United Church of Christ — Portland, OR

2017 Interconnectedness — Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2016 Novela: Arte y Drama — Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Antonio, TX

2015 Blow It Out Your Year! A Silo-Inspired Salon Style Send Off — FL!GHT, San Antonio, TX

2015 Queer The Cheer: Performance Poetry — Southwest Workers Union, San Antonio, TX

2015 SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE WHITE — AP ART LAB, San Antonio, TX

2014 Orbital Family Movie Night v1: Positive Reinforcements — Valentine's, Portland, OR

2014 PNCA Animated Arts BIG SHOW BLAST OFF — Glyph Cafe & Arts Space, Portland, OR

2014 PNCA + HOLOCENE: GOOD IDEA! — Holocene, Portland, OR

2014 Experimental Film Fest Portland: The Rose Show — Clinton St. Theater, Portland, OR

2014 April Meetings New Media Festival 2014 — Student Cultural Centre, Belgrade, Serbia

2014 Portland Stew: 4/17 — Clinton St. Theater, Portland, OR

2013 Colored Pencils Art & Culture Night — Director Park, Portland, OR

2013 Latino Art NOW! A Culmination of the Building Visions Series — RECESS, Portland, OR

2013 PNCA Senior Thesis Exhibition — Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR

2012 White Pride? Pt.1 — Place, Portland, OR

2012 Exploring Otherness — Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR

Press

• Dominic Anthony Walsh. “Artists Explore Gender Identity At San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum” Texas Public Radio, August 2nd, 2019.

• Mariana Fernandez. "A new exhibition celebrates artists rejecting the gender binary" i-D magazine. June 20, 2019.

• Nadja Sayej. "Transamerica/n: celebrating the underrepresented history of trans art" The Guardian. August 6, 2019.

• Elena Martinique. “Gender, Identity, Appearance Today in Contemporary Art at McNay” Widewalls. June 16, 2019.

• Deborah Martin. “Warhol, Transgender artists in focus at McNay Art Museum this summer” San Antonio Express-News. June 13, 2019.

• Barbara Purcell. “‘Transamerica/n’ is the McNay Museum’s trailblazing exhibition on gender identity” Sightlines Arts, Culture, News & Ideas. August 1st, 2019.

• Nancy Zastudil. “What’s Happening?: Right Here, Right Now: San Antonio At The Contemporary Art Museum Houston” Arts and Culture Texas. April 23, 2018.

• Caitlin Greenwood. “‘Right Here, Right Now: San Antonio’ Locates a Vibrant Arts Center” Sightlines Arts, Culture, News & Ideas. July 4th, 2018.

• Araceli Cruz. "8 Texan Artists Take On Identity And Politics In New Exhibit" Mitú, July 18, 2017.

• Christian Sarkar. “YLA 22: ¡Ahora! - Activist Art in Austin, Texas” HuffPost, July 13, 2017.

• Nancy Flores. “Mexic-Arte Museum’s Young Latino Artist exhibit opens July 14” Austin American Statesman, July 12, 2017.

• Christina Rees. “Top Five: July 13, 2017” Glasstire Texas Visual Art News & Reviews. July 13, 2017.

• James Courtney. “The New Vanguard: A Steadfast San Antonio Presence in Austin’s Annual Young Latin@ Artists Exhibition” San Antonio Current, July 11, 2017.

• David S. Rubin. “Carnalismx Collaborative at Freight Gallery” Glasstire Texas Visual Art, July 24, 2016.

• Camille Garcia. “Profiling Made Visible Celebrates LGBTQIA, 'Off-White' Pride” The Rivard Report, June 6th, 2016.

• Nick Joyner. “‘Profiling Made Visible’ Weathers the Storm on Opening Night” San Antonio Current, June 6th, 2016.

• Rudy Arispe. “Bihl Haus Arts Observes LGBT Pride with 'Profiling Made Visible’” Out In SA, June 1st, 2016.

• William Elder. “November 14: Only to Dream Opening Reception @ White Gallery | Exploring the Problem of Translation” PDX Pipeline, November 14th, 2013.

Speaking Engagements

2019 SAY Sí Hive Program Visiting Artist Lecture — Say Sí, San Antonio, TX

2017 Finding Sanctuary in the Borderlands Conference Symposium — OLLU, San Antonio, TX

2016 Dialog/Diálogo: Gallery Talk for Profiling Made Visible — Bihl Haus Arts, San Antonio, TX

2016 SAY Sí Visiting Artist Lecture Series — SAY Sí, San Antonio, TX

2016 Convergent Media Talk Series — Cafe Commerce, San Antonio, TX

2016 Tianguis Nepantla: Mordidas, Mercado, Palabras y Musica, presented by, Lady Base Gallery,VeryThat, & Anel
Flores — La Botanica, San Antonio, TX

2015 Lady Base Gallery: An Artist Talk With Michael Martinez & Charlie Young, StudioFantomas, San Antonio, TX

2013 Platica #2: Exploring Identity — Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR

2013 Ink Noise Review: Just Because — Jade Lounge, Portland, OR

2013 White Pride? Pt.1 Artist Talk — Place, Portland, OR