Christopher Martin is a multifaceted artist, transcending the boundaries of his studio and installation art practices. His creative endeavors extend across various disciplines, including sewing, sculpture, poetry, tattoo artistry, and musical production, to name a few. Stylistically and thematically, he seamlessly integrates these mediums, forging a cohesive narrative. His design philosophy embodies the principle of minimalism, characterized by simple yet impactful black and white palettes, where words and imagery are reduced to their essential cores. Despite its simplicity, his work exudes a profound lyricism that ranges from hopeful to melancholic, leaving a lasting and powerful impact that speaks of the African Diaspora.
He has been awarded the first ever Artist-In-Residence from the Museum of African Diaspora (MoAD AIR 2018), Inaugural Artist for ICA San Francisco Museum (2022), along with lectures both in the United States and Internationally.
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Born: Greensboro, North Carolina
Residing: Oakland, California
EXHIBITIONS
â–ª V O I D â–ª Hashimoto Contemporary â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Spring, 2023 (Solo Exhibition)
â–ª Inaugural Group Show (SF Location) â–ª Hashimoto Contemporary â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Spring, 2023
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â–ª Sour & Sweet â–ª Empire Seven Studios â–ª San Jose, CA â–ª Spring, 2023
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â–ª Visual Language: The Art of Protest â–ª Subliminal Projects â–ª Los Angeles, CA â–ª Spring, 2023
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â–ª Out Of Step Out Of Line â–ª Long Beach Museum of Art â–ª Los Angeles, CA â–ª Summer, 2022
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â–ª Ancient As Time â–ª XO Seattle â–ª Seattle, WA â–ª Summer, 2022
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â–ª Ancient As Time â–ª ICA San Francisco Museum â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2022 (Inaugural Solo Exhibition)
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â–ª Inaugural Group Show (LA Location) â–ª Hashimoto Contemporary â–ª Los Angeles, CA â–ª Spring, 2023
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â–ª Watts On â–ª Swim Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2021
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â–ª The Big Show â–ª Goodmother Gallery â–ª Oakland, CA â–ª Summer, 2021
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â–ª Homeward Bound â–ª Hashimoto Contemporary â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Spring, 2021 (Solo Exhibition)
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â–ª Bay Area visual artist Exhibition Production Relief Grant â–ª Ever Gold Projects + Internet Archive â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Spring, 2020
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â–ª Here & Now â–ª Fort Wayne Museum of Art â–ª Fort Wayne, IN â–ª Spring, 2020
â–ª Elements of… â–ª Part 2 Gallery â–ª Oakland, CA â–ª Spring, 2020
â–ª The Moleskine Project IX â–ª POW! WOW! â–ª Honolulu, HI â–ª Winter, 2020
â–ª Secret Santa â–ª Guerrero Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2020
â–ª Summer Friends â–ª Part 2 Gallery â–ª Oakland, CA â–ª Summer, 2019
â–ª To Whom It May Concern â–ª Tips On Failing Gallery â–ª Portland, OR â–ª Fall, 2019 (Solo Exhibition)
â–ª VooDoo By Night â–ª Little Lodge Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Spring, 2019 (Solo Exhibition)
â–ª Forever, A Moment: Meditations on Time and Space â–ª SOMArts Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2018
â–ª Love Letters From a Run Away Slave â–ª Mise En Place Gallery â–ª Oakland, CA â–ª Winter, 2018
â–ª Vanguard Revisited: Poetic Politics & Black Futures â–ª Walter & McBean Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2018
â–ª Juxtapozmag Clubhouse â–ª First Amendment Pop Up Gallery â–ª Miami, FL â–ª Fall, 2018
â–ª Reorienting The Images â–ª SOMArts Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Fall, 2018
â–ª Rouge Objects â–ª University College London â–ª London, UK â–ª Fall, 2018
â–ª Dark Was The Night â–ª First Amendment Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Fall, 2018 (Solo Exhibition)
â–ª Spoke Art 12x12 â–ª Vertical Gallery â–ª Chicago, IL â–ª Fall, 2018
â–ª FLUSH â–ª Swedish American Hall â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Summer, 2018
â–ª Highly Personal Deeply Social â–ª SpaceworksNYC â–ª Brooklyn, NY â–ª Summer, 2018
â–ª Vexillum â–ª The Holland Project Gallery â–ª Reno, NA â–ª Spring, 2018
â–ª For The Culture â–ª Bayview Opera House â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2018
â–ª Heritage & Hate â–ª Naming Gallery â–ª Oakland, CA â–ª Winter, 2018 (Solo Exhibition)
â–ª Sentimental Mood â–ª First Amendment Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2018
â–ª The Black Infinity â–ª No Place Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2017
â–ª Call for Beauty â–ª Root Division â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2017
â–ª Past, Present & Future â–ª Guerrero Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2017
â–ª Black & White â–ª 3rd Street Village Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Fall, 2017
â–ª Past Presence â–ª Pro Arts Gallery â–ª Oakland, CA â–ª Fall, 2017
â–ª Crop-Up â–ª 3rd Street Village Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Fall, 2017
â–ª Gutter Rainbow â–ª Laughing Monk Brewery Project Space â–ª San Francisco
â–ª Summer, 2017
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â–ª Finding My Freedom â–ª 3rd Street Village Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Summer, 2017
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â–ª Eudaimonia Naturae â–ª Roll Up Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Summer, 2017
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BRAND COLLABORATION
VANS "Off the Wall"​
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â–ª Cultural Ambassador â–ª 2021, 2022
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â–ª Black History Month Shoe Design â–ª Winter, 2021
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MURAL
â–ª Meta Open Arts (Facebook) â–ª Burlingame, CA â–ª Fall, 2021
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â–ª Zipper Building â–ª Portland, OR â–ª Fall, 2021
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â–ª Postmates â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Winter, 2020
â–ª Forest For The Trees â–ª Portland, OR â–ª Fall, 2019
â–ª 1AM Gallery â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Fall, 2018
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PUBLICATIONS
â–ª Frieze (online) â–ª 2022
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â–ª The San Francisco Chronicle (online) â–ª 2021, 2022
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â–ª 7x7 (online) â–ª 2022
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â–ª The New York Times (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª ARTFORUM (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Juxtapoz Magazine (print+online) â–ª 2021, 2022
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â–ª Esquire (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Complex Magazine (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Elle Magazine (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Essence (online) â–ª 2021
â–ª Nylon Magazine (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Paper Magazine (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Hype Beast Magazine (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Bazaar Magazine (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Popsugar (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Vice i-D (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Flaunt (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Hypebae (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª Office Magazine (online) â–ª 2021
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â–ª KQED Documentary (online) â–ª 2019
â–ª illetante vol.4 (print) â–ª 2019
â–ª Allied Forces Press (print) â–ª 2019
â–ª illetante vol.2 (print) â–ª 2017
â–ª SF Weekly (online) â–ª 2015
â–ª VEUXDO (online) â–ª 2016
â–ª Hoodline (online) â–ª 2016
â–ª Black Mail Love Zine (print) â–ª 2016
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LECTURE
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â–ª University of Washington â–ª Seattle, WA â–ª Winter, 2022
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â–ª University College London â–ª London, UK â–ª Fall, 2018
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ARTIST IN RESIDENCY
â–ª MoAD AIR â–ª Museum of African Diaspora â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Fall, 2018
â–ª SFMoMA Community in Residence â–ª San Francisco Museum of Modern Art â–ª San Francisco, CA â–ª Summer, 2020
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â–ª Book Program Residence â–ª Mills College North Eastern University â–ª Oakland, CA â–ª Spring, 2023