A Clutter of Roses

Beginning as a photographer, Martin has always been interested in the possibility of blending art and everyday life. The artist works by collecting materials throughout the day, working at odd times in a home studio, and with his kids as subjects and collaborators, reacting to and using the stuff around him. Children’s art, toys, kitchen objects, boardgames, to-do lists, cakes, clocks, leftovers, vacuum-sealed bags and plastic drink cups were all starting points for recent pieces. Says Martin: “I also like the effect of putting together visually disparate objects for a cluttered, domestic effect. I want everything to look different in style and material, which keeps me in a playful and experimental mode.”

Baby Shoes, 2026, for example, are antique stilt feet, collaged with foam and wire, and hung to look like a totemic remembrance of actual baby shoes. Martin works on an intimate scale: the walls of the gallery could resemble a household bulletin board with the aforementioned reminders, receipts, kids’ drawings - now transformed into works of art - all vying for space in the viewer’s eye and mind.