Jul. 1 @ 8:00 am – Jul. 31 @ 5:00 pm
Coca-cola crate, plaster, charcoal, ratchet strap, caster wheels, chicken wire
32 x 20 x 10 in
Plaster, OSB board, nails
20 x 30 x 16 in
Steel, caution tape, cinder blocks
5 x 6 x 8 ft
About the Artist
Julio Martinez is an artist born in Hidalgo, Texas, raised in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and later moved to the Rio Grande Valley.
Martinez has exhibited his work in group exhibitions at the Visual Arts Center, Austin, Texas, including Chatter at the Campo, a resulting exhibition from his participation in the Learning Tuscany study abroad program in 2023, Where We Meet in the Middle, and Ensemble as part of the Field Works Project. He was also a co-curator and artist in the Somos Recuerdos exhibition with the Center Space Project.
His curatorial involvement has been featured in the Daily Texan and curator talks at the Visual Arts Center. In 2023, he received the Hispanic Scholarship Fund scholar designation.
In 2024, Martinez participated in a Preparator Internship at Mexic-Arte Museum where he continues to work full-time as a Digital Media/Registrar Associate. He also attended a week-long sculpture program at the Ox-Bow School of Art in Michigan and received the 2024 Frick Art Award.
Martinez graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in Spring 2024 and received a BFA in Studio Art and a BS in Arts and Entertainment Technologies.
Artist Statement
“Using textiles, photography, video, sculpture, and printmaking, I create artwork that is often autobiographical and critical of the violence and injustice of immigration and manual labor. Within my work, I create portals inspired by architectural elements that summon the shared experiences of
immigrant Latino and Chicano cultures. I record lived domestic spaces to arrange nostalgic digital montages and collages that reinterpret and project my memories of growing up in Mexico. Influenced by rasquache attitudes that have prevailed through my frugal upbringing, I repurpose found materials and tools to create sculptures and installations that materialize the struggles of manual labor and worker exploitation. I appropriate legal documents and national symbols and employ the imagery of borders to criticize Western propaganda, oppression, imperialism, colonization, and interventionism. I utilize my multimedia practice as a medium of introspection and understanding of the world around me, so my work ultimately seeks to become a catalyst for self-reflection and community.”
Changarrito Cart – July 19 & 20 and July 26 & 27
Artists have the opportunity to sell their art on the Changarrito cart in front of the Museum (or an offsite location, as representative for the Museum during various Austin festivals). Changarreando expands the reach of the artist by presenting their gallery online, while allowing the option to sell merch over Instagram and receive 100% of the sale.
Julio will be at the Mexic-Arte Museum featuring her artwork on the Changarrito cart right outside the Museum’s entrance on July 19 & 20 and July 26 & 27 from 12 – 3 PM.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates on original work available for purchase and behind the scenes of the artist’s work, space, and creative process.
Changarrito Instagram Live Interview – July 31 at 5 PM
You’re invited to Mexic-Arte Museum’s Changarrito Instagram Live event with artist Julio Martinez, taking place virtually through the Museum’s Instagram account @mexic_arte! Luisa Fernanda Perez, Mexic-Arte Museum’s Curator of Exhibitions and Director Of Programs, will facilitate the virtual event with a series of questions directed at the artist including a Q&A taking place during the last 20 minutes of the event.