‘Smoke’: Noé Martínez

Patron’s presentation for Smoke highlights the work of Indigenous Mexican artist Noé Martínez. His grouping of sgraffito ceramics, inspired by pre-conquest Huastecan pottery, commune around a suspended sculpture in his ‘Racimo’ (‘bunch’) series. As used in the artist’s own performances, its form is derived from ritual rattles and musical instruments found in archaeological burial sites of the Huasteca. As a narrative counterpoint, Martínez’s paintings on unstretched cotton draw from pictorial storytelling traditions of post-conquest Mexico, depicting historical instances of displacement. Each is balanced with delicately rendered images of herbs, traditionally used to heal.

About Noé Martínez

Noé Martínez (b. 1986, Morelia Michoacan, Mexico) is a visual artist and filmmaker who holds a degree from the La Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado, (La Esmeralda) in México City. He lives and works in México City. 

Noé Martínez is presented by Patron at Frieze London 2024.

Further Information

Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2024, The Regent’s Park, 9 – 13 October 2024.

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^{Main Image: Noé Martínez, Racimo 3, 2022. Courtesy: the artist and Patron Gallery. Image: Evan Jenkins}