Yuz Museum is pleased to present Open Feast; Brooklyn-based artist Eddie Martinez’s first solo exhibition in mainland China, from November 7th, 2019 to January 12th, 2020 at Yuz Project Space of Art. Comprised of a new series of drawings and paintings, the exhibition will comprehensively explore the artist’s practice as well as his study of pop culture, sports, art history and his personal experiences.
Martinez has gained international recognition for his extraordinary use of line and manipulation of color. Based on primal interactions and permeated with the visceral breath of life, his works are fresh and free of stylization. Brushes, palette knives, fingers, screws, the wrong ends of brushes and whatever else is around him serve as tools for his paintings. His drawings, born on the way to the studio, a restaurant or during his leisure time, become the starting point for his paintings. The works on paper function as a diary faithfully documenting observations of the world. Unconstrained by venue, materials or topic, Martinez builds an infinite universe within the limitations of the canvas, probing deeply into borders and freedom. As the artist illuminates, “I am drawn to containers. Putting marks, colors and shapes in a neat confined area all smashed in and having a solid blocked out background makes me feel like I am able to exploit maximalism and minimalism in the same picture. That feels pretty complete to me. It’s something I’ve been exploring for over a decade.”
For this exhibition, the artist accomplished two of his largest works ever, drawing inspiration from the architecture and atmosphere of the museum. The new works emanate from his most well-known Table and Mandala series, establishing a breakthrough compared to previous experiments in boundaries and limitations. Through Open Feast, Martinez invites the audience to view his art feast open-mindedly: “make the free free of the open”, visualizing Martin Heidegger’s “the world worlds.”