The City of Dallas announced Tuesday that Oak Cliff Cultural Center will present local artist Saxon Martinez’s Memoires beginning January 20.
Martinez, who grew up in Oak Cliff, graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton with a Master of Fine Arts. He also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University. His work has been featured in Glasstire’s Top Five in 2022 and Under the Bridge Magazine, according to a press release.
Martinez is a recipient of the Greater Denton Arts Council Micro Grant. He was also awarded a Juror Choice Award for his work in the 500X Gallery EXPO 2022 exhibition.
His work centers around piñatas, “a fixture in much of Martinez’s life.” He uses the “celebratory and destructive history” of these objects to tell a narrative.
“So I made these piñatas and when people asked about them, we would have that conversation. ‘I grew up in this neighborhood in this way, and these experiences led me to be at this point in time making the work and talking to you about it.’ People would think about that and the idea of what art could be rather than what it should be,” Martinez told the CVAD News & Views, explaining his artwork.
“In Memoires, their distinctive features of overlapping fringed paper framed with cardboard surround ‘speak to the vibrancy and temporality of Martinez’ memories.’ As wall-mounted objects, the works reference intimate moments like photographs of family and the self, carrying a sense of ‘home and ambiguity,'” reads the press release.
“These ‘physical manifestations of self-portraiture’ are Martinez’s reflections on how experiences of labor, violence, trauma, social injustice, and memory influence his identity.”
Martinez’s Memoires will open on January 20 with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Memoires will be on display through February 16, according to Visit Dallas.
The Oak Cliff Cultural Center is located at 223 W. Jefferson Blvd. The center is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m.
