OCTAVIO
MARTINEZ
Creative based in NYC
A compilation of previous works and writing.
Projects with brands and other artists.
Send an email for bookings, partnerships, and more.
ARTIST BIO
As a narratologist, Octavio utilizes writing as an ethnographic approach to research, to be able to expand upon truths through fabulation, which serves as a form of reflexive discovery. It is in grounding himself in reflection of experiences that he is able to take part in creative collaboration outside of his personal work.
Born in San Diego to Mexican parents, he fully embraces his bicultural identity, which has shaped his taste and values within fine arts. Though drawing captivated him early on, it wasn't until 2020 that he committed to uncovering process and learning to begin the search for his voice through other forms of making.
Now 24, he seeks to unite his BA in Business Administration with an MFA in Transdiciplinary Design, at Parsons NYC, aiming to merge his practices, in an attempt to situate himself in spaces that will allow for a design led approach to process within business.
PORTFOLIO
Fruitless Exorcism (2024) - An exploration into the spectral presence of labor and displacement in public space, inspired by Battery Park. (2024)
Open Season (2024) - The hunt for connection in a curated paradise. (2024)
Kit Reveal (2025) - Branded Flesh. A commentary on the commodification of an athlete’s body through hypercapitalism in the modern game.
Love Bomb (2023) - A reflexive visual that questions when love becomes excess, leaving the recipient trapped between vulnerable joy and pressure.
Holy Smokes (2022) - A self portrait of my past and present self. Through doing a sample/mastercopy of sorts of Savoldo’s Mary Magdalene, I was able to tie in what my hope for the future feels like to me.
El Atardecer en Granada (2023) -
Sentados en el balcón
Nos agarramos de la mano en silencio.
No tenemos ni palabras ni rencor
Ni amor inexpresado.
El sol quema por última vez
Y el cielo se abre y comienza a hablar.
Lo único que queda es esperar a que nos lleven.
Ni idea del destino
Ni idea si iremos juntos
Pero de aquí, nadie se quiere despedir.
La eternidad ha sido muy corta en tus brazos.
Y nos envenenó.
Nos seducido con sus promesas
Y nos emborracho.
Bailamos por años
Con besos de color.
Fuimos extraños
Y ahora extraño tu calor.
Se está acabando el mundo,
Del Alhambra al vapor.
Music Video Stills Series (2023) - A fun experiment that imagines a punk rock surrealist music video, inspired by the music of Jean Dawson.
Closed Cycle (2017-2024) - This piece started with the self portrait with the comb back in my junior year of high school. As I was still learning what my style was and about how to utilize technique, I kept toying with the idea of capturing moments that stick with you, whether thoughts, conversations, gifts, views, or dreams. I didn’t think to put them together until last year, when I felt like they all spoke to each other symbolically. In terms of meaning, it’s one of my favorites.
Untitled 2 (2025) - Was heavily inspired by cowboy/western movies and surrealist art to convey a story about stepping away from a difficult past.
Untitled 1 (2025) - A provocative interrogation of the inhumane treatment of migrant construction workers throughout the history of World Cup Stadium Construction.
Commercial Shoot (Ongoing Series) (2025) - Reconstruction of brand authority and the points of resistance within sportswear and personal style.
collaborations
experience
Freelance Illustrator
Al Desnudo - Poetry Book Illustrator
2021-Present
CO Creative Director for Victor00
Palace MV
PAR - Album
White Alchemy - Chasing the Dragon
2020-2022
Art Exhibitions
Pancake and Booze - Austin
The Art Groove - New York
Del Mar Fair - San Diego
2023-2024
education
BA in Business Administration
St. Edward’s University, ATX
2018-2023
MFA Transdisciplinary Design
Parsons: The New School, NYC
Expected Graduation 2026
Octavio E. Martinez
get in
touch
Email: marto029@thenewschool.edu
