Monica Aissa Martinez

Monica Aissa Martinez

Monica Aissa
Martinez

b. 1962      STUDIO IN PHOENIX, AZ

West Region of USA
Monica Aissa Martinez
Monica Aissa Martinez’s large, richly detailed, and colorful paintings begin with the anatomical structure of the human body, but manage to fold in the artist’s love of the maps collected by her grandfather, her own study of yoga, and a holistic approach to mind, body, and spirit that incorporates both the cosmic and the microcellular.
 
The mixed-media works are created in a lengthy process that can take a year or more to complete. Each work begins with an anatomical drawing, upon which Martinez begins layering additional elements. With each layer, the character of the work changes. At one level, there are rich organic forms representing organs; at another, lines suggesting the circulation of blood. Next, the work is colonized by colorful shapes evoking cells, and striations that combine the literal physicality of muscle tissue with a powerful sense of movement between the forms. Viewed up close, the works are abstractions of vibrant color and shape. But pull back, and they become elegant illustrations of Martinez’s holistic interpretation of the world and her place in it.

I’m interested in science, but there’s a lot of metaphysics in it; there’s a lot of philosophy. I’m trying to understand the energy in the body—how it moves, how it’s directed. It’s complicated. And in order for me to really understand something, I have to draw it.

— Monica Aissa Martinez