Below the surface of Shantell Martin’s signature black and white drawings is an artists’ inquiry into the role of artist and viewer, where a work of art is more than an object of admiration disconnected from its inception. With a meditative process defined by an uninhibited flow, her compositions embody her internal state and the impermanence of the world around her. Exploring themes such as intersectionality, identity and play, Martin is a cultural facilitator, forging new connections between fine art, education, design, philosophy and technology.
In addition to prestigious solo shows at some of the most renown art institutions including the 92Y Gallery in New York City, the iconic Albright Knox Gallery and the MoCADA Museum, Martin has carved a path for herself that is as much intellectual as a producer and visual artist. During her two year tenure as an MIT Media Lab Visiting Scholar, Martin collaborated with the social computing group to use drawing as a medium to explore the interaction of social processes with physical spaces.
At the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Martin created a large scale wall installation and worked with the Institute’s research group to explore how visual and computerized storytelling might influence media and technology innovation.
A fashion and design icon in her own right, Martin has collaborated with iconic brands such as Nike, Vitra, Max Mara, Tiffany & Co., and in 2018, Puma launched a global capsule collection featuring her drawings. Martin has collaborated with legendary artists such as Pulitzer Prize winning performance artist Kendrick Lamar and acclaimed designer Kelly Wearstler. In late 2018, she was asked to collaborate with the prestigious New York City Ballet, where she created large scale drawings in the performance hall and foyer of the Lincoln Center for the company’s celebrated Art Series. She continues to teach as an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program), where she works with her students to push the boundaries of storytelling, visual art and technology.
The relationship between an artist and collector should be just that... a relationship. If you are interested in purchasing original artworks, Shantell would like to get to know YOU a little better through a series of questions that will ensure the work she creates goes to great people that will love and value it.
Credits
Branding & Design by Anton & Irene with love
Lines of Mars Launches in Times Square
2020
Shantell Martin is proud to announce that her installation Lines of Mars created for Midnight Moment has officially launched. It features her iconic improvisational illustrations and text appearing and disappearing, line by line, on a black background. Drawn on a digital tablet, the work features many of Martin’s recurring motifs, including faces, stick figures, and “birds boats” over an ocean, interspersed with hand-written words. Continuing the artist’s exploration of self that runs throughout her work, Lines of Mars asks the age-old question “who are you?” Those three words are repeated and reconfigured to finally conclude that “you are you.” This encouragement to viewers to think individualistically both participates in and counters the mass-messaging of advertisements otherwise seen on the electronic billboards of Times Square.
“I wanted to create a piece that explored the use of lines and words in a simple way to ask a complicated question. Asking this in a place like Times Square helps the question grow.” —Shantell Martin
Lines of Mars references multiple aspects of Times Square, including a staircase reminiscent of the Red Steps; “1904,” the year Times Square was named; and “12,” a reference to the end time of Midnight Moment or the beginning of a new year. Presented during the month of Love in Times Square, the work encourages viewers to understand, to be, and to love their true selves. Lines of Mars was arranged and formatted for Midnight Moment by Optical Animal.
For more information about Midnight Moment and the Times Square Arts Initiative see here.
