Christopher Martin is a multidiscipline artist from North Carolina exploring the African Diaspora and Indigenous histories. Driven by a desire to push cultural narratives, Martin confronts aesthetic perceptions of contemporary injustice. Cotton fibers are the primary medium of storytelling in order to reclaim the roots of the Atlantic slave trade. Christopher’s hand cut and sewn monumental tapestry banners in contrasted black and white images tell a surreal story of religion, captivity, and freedom. 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.
Specializing in: Tapestry, Tattoos, Installation, Illustration, Graphic Design
EXHIBITIONS
▪ Inaugural Group Show ▪ Hashimoto Contemporary ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Spring, 2023
▪ Sour & Sweet ▪ Empire Seven Studios ▪ San Jose, CA ▪ Spring, 2023
▪ Visual Language: The Art of Protest ▪ Subliminal Projects ▪ Los Angeles, CA ▪ Spring, 2023
▪ Out Of Step Out Of Line ▪ Long Beach Museum of Art ▪ Los Angeles, CA ▪ Summer, 2022
▪ Ancient As Time ▪ XO Seattle ▪ Seattle, WA ▪ Summer, 2022
▪ Ancient As Time ▪ ICA San Francisco Museum ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2022 (Inaugural Solo Exhibition)
▪ Watts On ▪ Swim Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2021
▪ The Big Show ▪ Goodmother Gallery ▪ Oakland, CA ▪ Summer, 2021
▪ Homeward Bound ▪ Hashimoto Contemporary ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Spring, 2021 (Solo Exhibition)
▪ Bay Area visual artist Exhibition Production Relief Grant ▪ Ever Gold Projects + Internet Archive ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Spring, 2020
▪ Here & Now ▪ Fort Wayne Museum of Art ▪ Fort Wayne, IN ▪ Spring, 2020
▪ Elements of… ▪ Part 2 Gallery ▪ Oakland, CA ▪ Spring, 2020
▪ The Moleskine Project IX ▪ POW! WOW! ▪ Honolulu, HI ▪ Winter, 2020
▪ Secret Santa ▪ Guerrero Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2020
▪ Summer Friends ▪ Part 2 Gallery ▪ Oakland, CA ▪ Summer, 2019
▪ To Whom It May Concern ▪ Tips On Failing Gallery ▪ Portland, OR ▪ Fall, 2019 (Solo Exhibition)
▪ VooDoo By Night ▪ Little Lodge Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Spring, 2019 (Solo Exhibition)
▪ Forever, A Moment: Meditations on Time and Space ▪ SOMArts Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2018
▪ Love Letters From a Run Away Slave ▪ Mise En Place Gallery ▪ Oakland, CA ▪ Winter, 2018
▪ Vanguard Revisited: Poetic Politics & Black Futures ▪ Walter & McBean Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2018
▪ Juxtapozmag Clubhouse ▪ First Amendment Pop Up Gallery ▪ Miami, FL ▪ Fall, 2018
▪ Reorienting The Images ▪ SOMArts Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Fall, 2018
▪ Rouge Objects ▪ University College London ▪ London, UK ▪ Fall, 2018
▪ Dark Was The Night ▪ First Amendment Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Fall, 2018 (Solo Exhibition)
▪ Spoke Art 12x12 ▪ Vertical Gallery ▪ Chicago, IL ▪ Fall, 2018
▪ FLUSH ▪ Swedish American Hall ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Summer, 2018
▪ Highly Personal Deeply Social ▪ SpaceworksNYC ▪ Brooklyn, NY ▪ Summer, 2018
▪ Vexillum ▪ The Holland Project Gallery ▪ Reno, NA ▪ Spring, 2018
▪ For The Culture ▪ Bayview Opera House ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2018
▪ Heritage & Hate ▪ Naming Gallery ▪ Oakland, CA ▪ Winter, 2018 (Solo Exhibition)
▪ Sentimental Mood ▪ First Amendment Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2018
▪ The Black Infinity ▪ No Place Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2017
▪ Call for Beauty ▪ Root Division ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2017
▪ Past, Present & Future ▪ Guerrero Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2017
▪ Black & White ▪ 3rd Street Village Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Fall, 2017
▪ Past Presence ▪ Pro Arts Gallery ▪ Oakland, CA ▪ Fall, 2017
▪ Crop-Up ▪ 3rd Street Village Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Fall, 2017
▪ Gutter Rainbow ▪ Laughing Monk Brewery Project Space ▪ San Francisco
▪ Summer, 2017
▪ Finding My Freedom ▪ 3rd Street Village Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Summer, 2017
▪ Eudaimonia Naturae ▪ Roll Up Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Summer, 2017
BRAND COLLABORATION
VANS "Off the Wall"
▪ Cultural Ambassador ▪ 2021, 2022
▪ Black History Month Shoe Design ▪ Winter, 2021
MURAL
▪ Meta Open Arts (Facebook) ▪ Burlingame, CA ▪ Fall, 2021
▪ Zipper Building ▪ Portland, OR ▪ Fall, 2021
▪ Postmates ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Winter, 2020
▪ Forest For The Trees ▪ Portland, OR ▪ Fall, 2019
▪ 1AM Gallery ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Fall, 2018
PUBLICATIONS
▪ Frieze (online) ▪ 2022
▪ The San Francisco Chronicle (online) ▪ 2021, 2022
▪ 7x7 (online) ▪ 2022
▪ The New York Times (online) ▪ 2021
▪ ARTFORUM (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Juxtapoz Magazine (print+online) ▪ 2021, 2022
▪ Esquire (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Complex Magazine (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Elle Magazine (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Essence (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Nylon Magazine (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Paper Magazine (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Hype Beast Magazine (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Bazaar Magazine (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Popsugar (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Vice i-D (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Flaunt (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Hypebae (online) ▪ 2021
▪ Office Magazine (online) ▪ 2021
▪ KQED Documentary (online) ▪ 2019
▪ illetante vol.4 (print) ▪ 2019
▪ Allied Forces Press (print) ▪ 2019
▪ illetante vol.2 (print) ▪ 2017
▪ SF Weekly (online) ▪ 2015
▪ VEUXDO (online) ▪ 2016
▪ Hoodline (online) ▪ 2016
▪ Black Mail Love Zine (print) ▪ 2016
LECTURE
▪ University of Washington ▪ Seattle, WA ▪ Winter, 2022
▪ University College London ▪ London, UK ▪ Fall, 2018
ARTIST IN RESIDENCY
▪ MoAD AIR ▪ Museum of African Diaspora ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Fall, 2018
▪ SFMoMA Community in Residence ▪ San Francisco Museum of Modern Art ▪ San Francisco, CA ▪ Summer, 2020
▪ Book Program Residence ▪ Mills College North Eastern University ▪ Oakland, CA ▪ Spring, 2023