through his multidisciplinary practice, patrick martinez creates works that reflect on the ever-evolving landscape of los angeles, considering the passage of time and its impact on the lived environment and, by consequence, on the multicultural communities that call it home. martinez’s large-scale multi-media paintings often incorporate vinyl banners, window bars, neon and tile atop obscured depictions of the city landscape. these abbreviated history paintings draw from the rich latinx visual traditions of east los angeles and beyond, placing an ephemeral mural tradition with deep roots in local mexican american histories in dialogue with the larger urban landscape with which it often finds itself at odds. from mayan warriors to flowering bougainvillea, from emiliano zapata to feathered serpents, from sitting bull to the labor organizer and activist larry itliong, martinez’s imagery is culled from a variety of mesoamerican, latin american, latinx, filipinx, and indigenous sources, yet stand together as part of a larger communal cultural legacy that spans across communities in the region as well as in many parts of the united states. martinez’s new form of history painting does not just take part in this shared legacy but proposes a deeper consideration of the ephemerality of these visual narratives that often illustrate the sides of community centers, primary schools, and corner markets. thanks to the turnover of these spaces, adapted by each new generation’s cast of characters, this history becomes all the more complicated with the passing of time, reflecting the rich exchange ignited by the natural migration of peoples. weaving these histories together, his works become a metaphorical cultural map, reflective of the diversity of los angeles and the communities martinez finds himself connected to.

while calling our attention to the evolution of these histories and the resilience of these communities, martinez reminds his viewers to reflect on those histories that are being made, acknowledging inequities within the criminal justice and education systems, and immigration enforcement replete with ethnic and socio-economic disparities. responding to these contemporary cultural and political conditions, martinez also creates text works out of neon that bring awareness to socially important causes, lending hope by combating darkness with light. using familiar vernaculars as his means of communication, martinez metaphorically breaks down the gallery walls, bringing shared artifacts, sentiments, memories, and energies of los angeles, and all latinx communities like it, into the museum space.