Martine Gutierrez: WE & THEM & ME

Martine Gutierrez, Video still from “Martine pt. V”, color video with sound, 2016, courtesy of the artist and RYAN LEE, New York

Martine Gutierrez: WE & THEM & ME

Independent Weekly Gallery
July 1 – August 21, 2016

Martine Gutierrez: WE & THEM & ME  presents three series of Gutierrez’s work through the media of photography (Line Ups and Girlfriends series), video (Martin(e).TV), and installation (Air Dolls: Confrontation series). Gutierrez acts as subject, artist, and muse, documenting her personal transformation into various imagined roles.

Martine Gutierrez (b. 1989) received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Through the transformation of physical space and composed self, Gutierrez investigates identity — both personal and collective. She is interested in the fluidity of relationships and the role of genders within them, employing female mannequins as her counterparts to explore the diverse narratives of intimacy. Life-size backdrops and props engage physical locations in a dialogue about reality. Active participation is integral to the viewer.
According to Gutierrez, “Society perpetuates rigid constructs like ‘male’ vs ‘female’, ‘gay’ vs ‘straight’, ‘minority’ vs ‘white’, ‘reality’ vs ‘fantasy’, ‘dominant’ vs ‘submissive’, etc.  However, as individuals and as communities, our interpretation of these constructs is subjective and not unchangeable. Reality, like gender, is ambiguous because it exists fluidly.”

Gutierrez supplies the framework and becomes the conduit that facilitates a dialogue between the viewer and the work – through a gesture, a room, an exchange between characters. Viewers are invited to question their own perceptions of sex, gender, and social groups. “I think of each work as a documentation of a transformative performance. I am interested in every facet of what it means to be ‘genuine’, especially when performing in a role society would never cast me in. I stage the scene and emote, but viewers see what they want to see; they can actively engage with the work or passively make assumptions. While gender is inherently a theme in my work, I do not see it as a boundary. The only profound boundaries are those we impose upon ourselves”.

Gutierrez is represented by RYAN LEE, New York. Current and recent exhibitions include Disturbing Innocence, curated by Eric Fischl at the Flag Art Foundation, New York, NY and About Face: Self-Portraiture in Contemporary Art at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, where her work is also included in the permanent collection.

Self portrait courtesy of the artist
and RYAN LEE, New York

Also a musician and producer, Gutierrez’s first unreleased single, “Hands Up“ was selected by Saint Laurent Paris for their Cruise Collection 2012 video editorial. Her music has been featured in several other fashion houses, including Christian Dior and Acne Studios.

Line Up 6, 2014, Archival inkjet print, 42″ x 28″, edition of 10, courtesy of the artist and RYAN LEE, New York

Line Up 3, 2014, Archival inkjet print, 42″ x 28″, edition of 10, courtesy the artist and RYAN LEE, New York

Line Up 5, 2014, Archival inkjet print, 42″ x 28″, edition of 10, courtesy the artist and RYAN LEE, New York

Martine Gutierrez   /   Martine TV   /   RYAN LEE

Please be advised: exhibition contains mature content.
 

WITH GRATITUDE : 

AV Metro • AC Restaurants • AJ Fletcher Foundation • Aloft Raleigh • Belmont Sayre • CAM/now • Capitol Broadcasting Company • Celito • Citrix • Clearscapes, PA • Creative Office of Joshua Gajownik • Duke Energy • Ella Ann and Frank B. Holding Foundation • First Tennessee Bank • Flanders Art Gallery • Robert P. Holding Foundation • Hobby Properties • Hodge and Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty • Kane Realty Corporation/The Dillon • Morningstar Law Group • Newmark Grubb Knight Frank • NSI Labs • Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein • PNC Bank • PNC Foundation • Paul Coggins, DDS, MPH, PA • R. Glen Medders, MD • Rebus Works • Research Triangle Park Foundation • RYAN LEE • SiteLink • Surevest • Themeworks • Thomas Law Group • The Umstead Hotel and Spa • Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice • The Betty Eichenberger Adams Society

Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA, Dean, College of Design, North Carolina State University (retired)

CAM’s educational and community programs are funded in part by the Goodnight Educational Foundation, The Grable Foundation, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, IBM Community Grants, SunTrust, Wells Fargo, and the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County. Free Family Sundaes are funded by the PNC Foundation.