Roski Talks: Patrick Martinez

ABOUT PATRICK MARTINEZ

Patrick Martinez (b. 1980, Pasadena, CA) is a multidisciplinary artist known for his mixed media landscape paintings, neon sign works, cake paintings, and the Pee-Chee series. His landscapes are abstract compositions of city materials—like stucco, spray paint, neon, and ceramic tile—that reflect socio-economic conditions and cultural loss. His neon works remix street-level signage with literary and rhetorical phrases, while his cake paintings honor activists and thinkers. The Pee-Chee series addresses the risks faced by Black and Brown youth from law enforcement.

Martinez earned his BFA with honors from Art Center College of Design in 2005. His work has been shown internationally, at venues such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Brooklyn Museum, Studio Museum in Harlem, and Smithsonian museums. His pieces are in permanent collections at the Whitney Museum, the Broad, LACMA, MOCA, the Smithsonian and others.

Notable exhibitions include a solo show at the Tucson Museum of Art (2021), a residency at the Rauschenberg Residency (2020), and a solo exhibition at the ICA San Francisco (2023). He is also part of the current exhibition at The Broad Museum and the focus of a solo presentation at Dallas Contemporary (2024). Martinez lives and works in Los Angeles and is represented by Charlie James Gallery.

ABOUT ROSKI TALKS

The USC Roski School’s Roski Talks lecture series offers engaging weekly presentations from leading visual artists, design innovators, scholars, performance artists, architects, and other influential figures throughout the academic year. These events are a popular among the Roski community and frequently attract members of the public.

Held in an intimate setting, Roski Talks encourage audience participation and open dialogue. Each session concludes with lively group discussions and Q&A opportunities.

Host or Publisher USC Roski School of Art and Design