Rissa Martinez

Confined 1

Oil on wood

"In my series 'Confined,' I explore my internal struggle with PTSD induced by medical trauma associated with my lupus by use of my stagnant figure portrayed in a vulnerable state of nudity. My PTSD has left me emotionally numb, giving me a sense of not being present in my own life and not being able to fully experience things I could previously. In both pieces within the series, I use different sheer and transparent fabrics to convey a sense of presence that is visible but isn’t quite attainable. You can see it, but you cannot touch it."

— Rissa Martinez

About the artist

Rissa Martinez

I am a queer, Chicana, single mother, born and raised in Oxnard, CA. I grew up in poverty with my Catholic family who immigrated from Mexico seeking better opportunities for me and my siblings. With a tumultuous upbringing revolving around mental and traditional health issues, drug-use, and teen parenting, I turned to the Punk subculture as a second family. I became heavily immersed in the Oxnard and Los Angeles Latine Punk scene where I was able to explore my identity in an unprejudiced environment.

My current work is ethnographic in nature, centering around the exploration of duality; carefully examining the natural juxtaposition within visual and contextual aspects of my cultural upbringing through the lens of individual as well as community identity.