E-B
Martinez E-B
Artist Statement
I am intrigued by the way particular behaviors, beliefs and values are absorbed by people without thinking or questioning them. My work seeks to force an examination of those unquestioned things, especially by considering the aura and authority that objects and images can have for particular groups of people. By way of installation, video, sound, performance, painting and writing, I intentionally complicate and re-contextualize those objects, images, signs, and symbols. Through a multi-disciplinary process, I attempt to interrogate the complex relationship between us and the objects and imagery that identify us, tell our histories, give power and expression to us, and at times hold us hostage.
MARTINEZ E-B is a native of inner-city Cleveland, OH and now living and working out of the Chicago, IL area. He is a multidisciplinary artist, who creates works that simulate the cultural/social/political fog of his upbringing. E-B has illustrated and authored books, has had his works adapted for theater, and has shown in numerous exhibits nationally. Recently, his work has been featured in SERIAL Podcast season 3 (in collaboration with Moth Studio, London), and ARTFORUM International Magazine Critics’ Picks. He received his B.F.A. from Cleveland Institute of Art and his M.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago.