Artists | MAKI Gallery | MAKI

Born in 1985 in Marbella, Spain, Javier Martin began painting with oils from an early age and held his first exhibition at the age of eight. A self-taught artist ever since, his observational skills have been honed through his travels in Europe, South Korea, Hong Kong and the United States. Since 2007, through his own unique mode of expression, Martin has continued to engage with his series Blindness, exploring the oftentimes elusive and vague ideas associated with beauty and value and their recognition in contemporary society. Martin’s works aim to question the truthfulness and accuracy of messages communicated by objects, services and commercial imagery commonly found in our everyday life. The process by which images on social media or in advertising act as symbolic capital in contemporary society, exerting influence on our consciousness, lies at the very root of Martin’s engagement with the theme of Blindness.
Recent solo exhibitions include LIGHTS APPROPRIATION, Pulpo Gallery (Murnau, Germany, 2022); Blindness, AUDEMARS PIGUET HOUSE (Madrid, 2020); and INFINITE LIGHT, MASAHIRO MAKI GALLERY^※ (Tokyo, 2019). His work has also been included in numerous group exhibitions including Skin in the game, Gallery HZ (Hong Kong, 2021); Plan B, David Zwirner Gallery (New York, 2019); Convergence, Galerie Art District (Paris, 2018); and LIES & LIGHT, MOCA Jacksonville (Jacksonville, 2017). In 2019, Martin held his first solo museum exhibition, Blindness, at Seoul Museum, which later traveled to public culture facilities and private museums sponsored by the South Korean Ministry of Culture. In 2022, Martin participated in a two-person exhibition, baanai / Javier Martin at ISETAN Shinjuku The Space in Tokyo.

^※renamed MAKI Gallery in June 2020