Marion C. Martinez

Marion C. Martinez (born January 24, 1954) is a Chicana visual artist who repurposes discarded computer hardware in the production of her artwork.[1]

Biography

Martinez was born in Española, North of Santa Fe, New Mexico and was raised in Los Luceros.[1] While a college student, she lived near and worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. That experience inspires her work.[2]  As a trained psychotherapist, she worked closely with Hispanic and Native American families.

Art

Martinez began creating art with technology discards in the 1980s after experimenting with video art. Martinez's artwork portray traditional Latino cultural iconography. Much of her art, portray the Virgin de Guadalupe because of her deep connection to her.[3]

Martinez works in series or collections based on iconography. One series or collection presents the Virgen of Guadalupe icon. A second series or collection present the Sacred Heart or Milagros, which are icons typically used for healing. A third series or collection, Martinez titles, AzTechna. Icons in this series, present Martinez's interpretation of cultural legends and myth combined with contemporary technological materials. Martinez's work was featured in the 2022-2023 exhibit Fronteras del Futuro: Art in New Mexico and Beyond at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico,[4] and her work is also part of the Center's permanent collection.[5]

References

1. Ramírez, Catherine S. (2019). "Deus ex Machina: Tradition, Technology, and the Chicanafuturist Art of Marion C. Martinez". In González, Jennifer A.; Chavoya, C. Ondine; Noriega, Chon; Romo, Terezita (eds.). Chicano and Chicana Art. Duke University Press. pp. 146–164. doi:10.1515/9781478003403. ISBN 9781478003403.
2. Ramírez, Catherine S. (2020). "Afrofuturism/Chicanafuturism: Fictive Kin". In Noriega, Chon A.; Belcher, Wendy Laura; Villaseñor Black, Charlene (eds.). Autobiography without Apology: The Personal Essay in Chicanx and Latinx Studies. UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press. pp. 47–54. ISBN 978-0-89551-173-7. OCLC 1158508144.
3. Lewthwaite, Stephanie (17 April 2013). "Reworking the Spanish Colonial Paradigm: Mestizaje and Spirituality in Contemporary New Mexican Art". Journal of American Studies. 47 (2): 339–362. doi:10.1017/s002187581300011x. ISSN 0021-8758. S2CID 145210818.
4. "Fronteras del Futuro: Art in New Mexico and Beyond". National Hispanic Cultural Center. 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
5. "El Sueño del Matachine". National Hispanic Cultural Center. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2023.

External links

• Martinez’s Website