Photo Credit: Greg Zaragoza

Mark Anthony Martinez, MFA

Visual Artist

b. 1987BFA; Intermedia, Pacific Northwest College of Art, 2012
MFA; Contemporary Art Practices, Portland State University, 2014Based in San Antonio, TX

Upcoming \ Currently On View

You don’t own ME
A GROUP EXHIBITION CURATED BY MARK ANTHONY MARTINEZOn view March 8 through March 29, 2025
INTERLOPER GALLERY & S.M.A.R.T. Project Space, 1906 S. Flores, San Antonio, Texas 78204Opening Reception, March 8, Saturday from 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Closing Reception, March 29, Saturday from 6:00 – 9:00 PM---
“You don’t own ME” is a group show featuring artists who deploy the use of their own image and likeness within their art practice. Either to illustrate a conceptual concern or simply modeling as a practical economic means to render a subject — these artists offer portals into differing modes of being. “You don’t own ME” refers to the artist’s autonomy, independent from mainstream society.
Unlike the bad faith portrayals of artists found in mainstream media — here we recognize the Artist as the authority in who they are.
Through their respective chosen media; figuration, becomes translated into examples of not just self expression but self definition. Road maps that future artists can use to traverse their own lives through the introspective exercise of self-portraiture. This exhibition serves as a reminder of who we might become should we choose to capture and illustrate our own personhood.
With this in mind, who might also need reminding of the importance of self-definition?
Featuring Artists: Alejandro Abeledo, Nicole Amri, Daryan Arcos, Frances Baca, Andy Benavides, Ashley Bueno, Sara Corley, Kaldric Deshon Dow, Rose Elizabeth, Audrya Flores, Raul Rene Gonzalez, Rafael Gutierrez, Oliver Lyric, Gabi Magaly, Mark Anthony Martinez, Michael Martinez, Symone Martinez, Wardell Picquet, Katlyn Powell, Roza Rodarte, Fred Wood, Samantha YsaguirreAbout S.M.A.R.T.: S.M.A.R.T. strengthens emotional health through experiential arts education and nurtures students as mindful community leaders.About INTERLOPER: INTERLOPER GALLERY operates as an experimental out of pocket arts incubator owned, operated and programmed by San Antonio based artists: Allysha Farmer, Mark Anthony Martinez, MFA & Michael Martinez – culminating in over 30 years worth of experience within the field of Fine Arts. Gallery hours are 1-4pm most Saturdays or otherwise by appointment.About the CURATOR: Mark Anthony Martinez is a conceptual artist and curator based in San Antonio. He received his BFA in Intermedia at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (2012) and MFA in Contemporary Art Practice from Portland State University (2014). He is currently collaborating with S.M.A.R.T. SA located at 1906 S. Flores; developing curatorial programming for 2025.

Join us for The Nature of Us, a dynamic art exhibition celebrating International Women’s Day.
🌟 A special thanks to @centrosanantonio for their support in providing this incredible space.📅 Date: March 8th
⏰ Time: 3–9 PM
📍 Location: La Zona (337 W Commerce St, San Antonio, TX)Curated by Raisa Meléndez Tardi (@durapuravida) and Symone Martinez (@symonemartinez_art), this exhibition explores themes of femininity, empowerment, and resilience through the vibrant symbolism of the color green. Representing renewal, vitality, and growth, green serves as a central element in works that invite dialogue on identity, connection, and shared humanity.Featuring contributions from many talented local artists, this exhibition showcases a wide range of voices and perspectives.#TheNatureOfUs #SanAntonioArt #InternationalWomensDay #ArtExhibition #CelebrateCreativity

Video Work

A collection of relevant video works and documentation of previous installations. See my Vimeo for more info.

"I'M NOT A COWBOY...," solo exhibition documentation, Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery, 2024

“HE GOT IT," 3 minute video excerpt, original video duration 00:14:45”, 2024

“Reverse Manifest Destiny,” video installation, originally created for the group show “IM\MATERIAL CONCERNS\,” 1906, San Antonio.

“Didactic/Musings,” single channel video, originally created for the group show “Not Quite January,” 1906, San Antonio. Runtime 18:42”

“art/worker,” video performance on PVM, created for the group show “ART/WORKER,” curated by Michael Martinez then selected for the curation “Vernacular Systems,” curated by Christopher Blay, 2024

“i did it to myself,” solo exhibition video pile documentation of “the doom scroll,” in the project space JANUARY, 2023.

SPECTRE, single channel video installation, exhibiting in tandem with the classic theatre’s production of “Measure for Measure,” San Antonio, 2023

“Brown Sugar,” A three hour performance neutralizing the radical within the artist; culminating in a “safer” brown hue. Originally performed at Recess, a project space in Portland, OR.

Visual Art Documentation

A portfolio of previously exhibited visual works and documentation of installations. See my instagram or follow me on Blue Sky (links below) for more information on upcoming studio happenings.

Artist Biography

Mark Anthony Martinez is a conceptual artist and curator based in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Martinez holds a BFA in Intermedia Arts from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (2012) and an MFA in Studio Art from Portland State University (2014).His studio practice, has had him exhibit in numerous group shows locally and nationally, including; The Contemporary at Blue Star, San Antonio, TX (2024), Centro de Artes, San Antonio, TX (2020), The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center Inc., New York, NY (2019), The Open as part of the Nicholas Frank Public Library, Milwaukee, Wi. (2017), Mexic-Arte in Austin, TX. (2017) and, Co-Prosperity Sphere, Chicago, Il. (2014). In 2024, Martinez ended the year with his tenth solo exhibition titled “I’m Not A Cowboy,” featured at the Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery in San Antonio, Texas.Martinez has served as Visual Arts Director to the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (2015-2017), Gallery Manager for the Michael and Noemi Neidorff Art Gallery at Trinity University (2018), co-curator for the experimental pop-up space, Fake Gallery (2019), co-director of the short lived project space entitled JANUARY (2023) and currently co-curator to both INTERLOPER and The S.M.A.R.T. Project Space; respective arts incubators within the "1906 Studio."

Artist Statement

I’m a conceptual artist whose bulk of my practice revolves around my own relation to racial whiteness as a visibly brown individual.Through my art; I employ self-portraiture, text and oblique references to the white body as it exists as a disembodied ideal — challenging the western notion of white as “neutral” as well as the historical violence of assimilation.Although this type of work encompasses a majority of my exhibited artwork, there are other subjects I’m eager to explore. Subjects such as labor, science fiction and ecological conservation. However, these next creative endeavors come with the understanding that all of my work is created from a space that fully recognizes that I am a person of color.

IMPORTANT LINKS