interviews
Mauro Martinez Shares His Internet-inspired Artwork And Why He Thinks Memes Are One Of The Best Sources For Capturing Today’s Landscape
he intersection of art, social media and memes isn’t something very commonplace, but in recent years, the space has been evolving right alongside society’s continual fixation with platforms like Instagram and Facebook. One such artist implementing elements from internet culture into their works of art is Texas-based painter Mauro Martinez. By drawing inspiration from current events and social media to memes and internet lore, Martinez’s avant-garde artwork combines traditional oil painting with Plein air painting (the act of painting outdoors) to produce depictions of our current climate and experiences like no other. Martinez sat down with us to recap his history in the medium as we trace the origins of his internet experiences that influence his unique art style.
Q: Hello, Mauro. Glad to have you on for an interview. So first things first, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and sort of introduce who you are and what it is that you do for those who aren’t familiar?
A: Firstly, I just want to say thank you for this opportunity. As you can probably imagine — it’s incredibly validating as an artist working with memes to be doing an interview with you guys. I grew up in Laredo, Texas, which is on the Texas-Mexico border, but I am currently living and working in San Antonio. My paintings range in style and subject matter but are ultimately my attempts at documenting the world around me. I’m also very fortunate in that painting is also my full-time job.
Q: You’ve been active in the art community for a number of years now, but can you take us back to your earliest days? How did you first get involved with art and what’s your background?
A: My great aunt was a librarian, and in her house, she had her own small library with an art section. Most of the art section contained how-to-draw books, and I remember very clearly that’s how I got my start. She was very proud and serious about her library, so handling her books and their contents felt, in some way, like a serious endeavor. Even though the illustrations I was copying were completely absurd, I was diligent about my efforts. Then my mom introduced me to the comics by Gary Larson, and I realized you could use your art to be funny. Every artist I discovered after that provided more lessons in how to communicate a range of thoughts and emotions through art.
Q: Because so much of your work is centered around internet and meme culture, could you tell us more about your history with the web? What were some of your earliest experiences online that shaped your interest in creating art around this subject?
A: I was born in 1986 and spent most of high school without internet access at home. When we did get a computer, I remember spending a lot of time on AOL Instant Messenger and seeing “smileys” for the first time. I think much of my perspective has to do with having experienced both pre- and post-internet reality in my youth.
Q: What was your first internet- or meme-inspired work, and when did you begin experimenting with that subject matter in your art?
A: The first meme-inspired work I did was in 2016, and it was meant to be an escape from my normal practice which had become too stuffy in my opinion. The painting was called “When the Bay,” and it was honestly just like a visual collage of ridiculous stuff on a canvas. Saying or even thinking about the title now makes me sort of cringe because it feels so dated. But the same has not happened to the painting itself and the words that are on the canvas. It still holds up as an image. I think I started taking memes more seriously after I realized their potential when combined with oil paint. The second iteration was a painting I called “Hemorrhage” and was taken from the “Why The Fuck Everything Cost Money” meme. In that painting, I was using the image as a starting point but really letting the paint itself take center stage. After that, I started listening more to the internal logic of each cursed image or meme and proceeding in a way that meets the requirement of that specific image.
Q: So when was your first major debut or gallery appearance? Can you describe what that experience was like and if it was the first big moment you knew you were on to something with your art?
A: My most recent exhibition with Unit London was an absolute milestone for me. It was my first solo exhibition overseas, but the month they chose to represent me officially was also the month I celebrated 10 years free from heroin addiction. That moment felt like the sky opened up for me, and honestly, that feeling hasn’t gone away. Working with the team at Unit London and their sister company Unit Drops is a continuously rewarding experience in and of itself. And in response to the last part of the question: I’ve not always known what form the paintings should take, but I had to accept early on that I can only ever make MY work.
Q: You’ve maintained a notable presence online through social media for your art as well. Due to the nature of your work, what role do you think social media has played in helping to spread your renown online and introduce people to your creations? How else do you use it to connect with your audience?
A: I first set up my Instagram account in December 2012, having spent 2011 in rehab, and I remember just being excited about the sheer potential. I was still living in Laredo, Texas at the time and there were little to no venues for an artist to exhibit and I had zero art-world contacts. So, I just started making and posting. During those early years, I researched a lot about hashtags and geotagging and different ways to boost the reach of your work. Then I slowly implemented everything I was learning. I had my Instagram account for about a year before I set up my online shop and started selling little illustrations for about $25. By September 2014, I quit my last day job and was using Instagram to make a full-time living selling art. It’s been wonderful to be able to use social media as both a gallery and marketplace.
Q: “Big Mood” is one of the most noteworthy works in your career. Can you tell us more about this series, what inspired it, how people reacted to it, and why you chose to focus on that particular subject matter?
A: Fittingly enough, the title and definition for the show come from the Know Your Meme directory. The idea of relatability is interesting to me because I feel it’s my role as an artist to document the time. Like the title suggests, the works reflect the collective spirit of 2020 in all of its humor and pathos. The body of work is comprised of smaller sub-series (like the sensitive content paintings or the cursed images/cursed emojis) that each articulate a different facet of the collective “mood.”
Q: Your “Sensitive Content” paintings are another of your most iconic works. Can you tell us more about these, how you came up with the idea, and what the meaning behind them is?
A: The sensitive content series was inspired by the censorship filters that started appearing on Instagram in 2019. These are made with a combination of acrylic paint using an airbrush and a silkscreen for the text over top. I use them to make inquiries about the role of censorship in life/art and as a vehicle to dialogue about the larger implications this sort of censorship carries.
Q: Obviously social media, memes and internet culture, in general, are some of the primary focuses of your work. Why do you tend to focus on these subjects, and why is this an important topic to cover for you personally?
A: Cursed images and memes have properties that can be seen as superior to that of an oil painting. Memes are free to produce and distribute, oil painting is expensive. Memes are efficient while overpainting can be laborious and time-consuming. But there is also an incredibly visceral quality to oil painting that cannot be found in any other medium, and that’s where memes fail for me. I think it’s ultimately the tension between these seemingly opposed modes of image-making that thrusts my interest in the work forward.
Q: Aside from internet culture, what are some of the other subjects or topics of your work that you like to focus on? Are there any other areas you want to explore in the future?
A: I got my start in portraiture and definitely have a deep abiding love for it. On the other hand, Plein air landscape painting is something that is completely new to me, but I’m very excited at the prospect of learning and starting.
Q: When conceptualizing works such as these, where do you find inspiration or come up with ideas? What’s your creative process like from start to finish?
A: With my showing having just come down, I’m very much in this process right now. I’ve been thinking about the idea of truth, especially as it relates to mainstream/social media. Normally my process starts by identifying an observation I’m making. I’d argue that’s the hardest part because I normally have to ask myself a lot of questions before I have a concise enough thought to start. Even then, the paintings will always inform the original statement and either solidify or shift it. With the idea of truth in mind, I’ll start an open-source search for images, words, colors and any other reference. I look indiscriminately and start to filter what feels false. After that I start making early, small prototypes to test the ideas. This is where I’m at now. These are still early, so I haven’t documented them. But after enough are made, I’ll have a much better idea of what to pursue, what to shift and what to abandon. Some of the prototypes that resonate get made as large-scale works, but some of them remain small statements.
Q: It’s a well-known fact that making it as a full-time artist in this day and age is no small feat. What are some of the biggest challenges you face, and what do you enjoy most about working as an artist?
A: Sometimes I struggle with fear about whether or not people will like my new work, as it’s always sort of subject to change. And as it’s connected directly to my livelihood, it makes it a particularly tricky landscape to navigate. But in hindsight, everything I’ve done over the last 10 years has been in service to my work, and I’ve never gone hungry in that honest pursuit. I’ve learned to trust whatever force is driving that. Painting has taught me some of my biggest life lessons. I think that’s what I love most about working as an artist: It’s a perpetual leap of faith.
Q: Since some of your paintings contain “sensitive content,” what do some of your close friends or family think of your work? What about other viewers? Has anyone reacted negatively to your paintings or are they generally well-received?
A: My friends and family have actually all been incredibly supportive, along with most of the internet. There are, of course, some people who dislike the series for various reasons. Some people feel it is simply a gimmick, while others think my aim is to profit off the marginalized. Of course, neither is true, but the climate and limitations of social media are such that productive dialogue is rarely possible. And it’s precisely for that reason that I think the paintings are necessary, and why I’ll continue to make them.
Q: During your time as an artist, do you ever collaborate with anyone in the scene? Who are some of your favorite artists to work with, or anyone who produces similar content to yours?
A: In 2016, I did a collaborative series with Paul Cooley when I first started using an airbrush. It was a three-part monochrome series that consisted of a blurred portrait (my contribution) with text written over top (Paul’s contribution). We worked on them in his studio in New York during a visit. Afterward, I worked on a series of overpainted photographs in collaboration with Hector Hernandez. We used his photos as a base, and I used the paint in ways that interacted with the lighting situation in the photo. In 2019, I worked on a collaborative series with Albert Gonzales. These are based on his floral “Wabi-Sabi” series, with my contribution coming after. For these, I really wanted to keep his work as the primary focus and blur off a section of the existing painting. Hopefully, we get to work together again soon. I’d also love to collaborate with my friend Milo Hartnoll (@milohartnoll). I love his paintings and he’s been experimenting with some animation recently.
Q: The convergence of memes and politics in recent years has seen unprecedented levels of interaction, especially on social media. What’s your opinion on the role of memes and artwork that discuss politics, and how does social media play a role in all of this?
A: I think memes can be great for spreading a limited amount of information and making a statement, but social media can be horrible for having a dialogue. The combination of political memes, social media and our decreased threshold for tolerance is incredibly volatile. But I don’t think it’s impossible to navigate. Art can be a buffer between an idea and a person, and it can be a powerful vehicle for dialogue. Personally, I hope to see more people leaning into these qualities.
Q: Could you point out a few of your paintings that are some of your personal favorites and tell us why they’re significant to you?
A: I made a painting in 2017 called “Good Fences” which seems an even more apt description of today’s social climate. The painting is about 9 feet wide and features a blurred image of two dogs fighting. The painting was made after the 2016 election when I really started to notice the political tension on social media. The painting is meant to depict this climate of perceived opposites engaged in all-out war. That painting has continued to inform work up to this day. Another is a painting titled “Photo Synthesis.” It was an instance where I started painting a cursed image I found on the internet and the original image belongs to an artist named Hayden Kays. He ended up sending me a direct message on Instagram after he saw the painting and the nature of the project completely shifted meaning because I got to meet the artist behind the image. Instead, my paintings simply became about documenting the viral trajectory of his image on the net.
Q: Specifically some of the more meme-oriented paintings, which of those are some of your favorites, and why? Are there any current memes you haven’t painted yet that you plan to include in upcoming works?
A: As part of my practice, I try to make a small study just about every day. The constant influx of new cursed imagery and memes is particularly well-suited for someone who needs new images that somehow reflect current realities. I think the ones that have most successfully done this are the paintings I produced during the COVID-19 lockdowns based on images I found on the various accounts I follow. Because I make them so small to start, I’ve actually been able to move through all of the images that I wanted up to this point. If anything, I’m just on the edge of my seat waiting for what’s next.
Q: Since you often reference them, could you share with us any memes that are your favorite at the moment? Ever create any yourself?
A: This first one has been my favorite meme/image in general since 2016. It makes me genuinely smile every time I look at it. The second is an image from my own failing art meme account @classcritique.
Q: Do you have anything in the works that we should keep on our radar? Any noteworthy projects coming up for you?
A: A new body of work has definitely been initiated, but it’s too much in the “cocoon stage” I feel to share too much. I will say that some of the work has a lot to do with the ideas of truth in falsity as they relate to mainstream/social media. I’m still digging for something more concrete, but I’m close!
Q: For those who enjoy your artwork, where can they stay up-to-date on your endeavors?
A: I’m on Instagram @ztm_oruam. My online shop is always being updated with prints and other cool stuff. Otherwise, I’m collaborating with the amazing folks at Unit Drops on more limited releases.
Q: To end things here, I’d like to hear what the one “takeaway” is that you want or hope people get from viewing your art. What do you want to convey to viewers overall?
A: I hope people walk away with some sense of my intentions. As an artist, I think that’s the greatest thing I can hope for.
Mauro Martinez is a Texas-based artist who specializes in oil and Plein air painting focused on internet and meme culture. You can find more of his artwork on his Instagram account or website and check out his online shop via Big Cartel to purchase prints, merch and more. See additional artwork from Martinez on the UNIT LONDON website or Instagram account.
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