1.Fragmented

Mixed media installation

Unit 4 Art Making and Exhibiting

“Fragmented” (2024), comprises a disjointed reconstruction of the human body made with wire mod rock. In tandem with the artist’s other works, the artist seeks to deconstruct contemporary perceptions of human nature as the sculpture’s inherent purpose aims to represent the body as a blank vessel for self-expression. 

The use of disjointed body parts encourages the audience to inspect each aspect of the artwork in isolation, drawing their own conclusions regarding the interconnected nature of our internal and external selves. Largely influenced by the works of Nina Sanadze, Martin uses the body as a metaphor for the individual potential of transformation, connection, and expression. Thin wire strands wrapped in repetitious lines within the work employ a sense of personal and forced confinement, linking tangible and intangible experiences of personal expression to the pressures placed by society on one’s body and self-expression. The organic shape and texture of each limb seeks to alienate the natural dimensions of the body parts and engender a natural sense of curiosity within the audience, echoed through the instillation method that encourages a ‘floating’ perspective of the work.

The use of blank - predominantly white - materials in the artwork allow varied interpretations from the audience, encouraging a holistic and introspective view on the work as aesthetic qualities are largely interpreted and determined by the viewership. 

The artwork notably presents unilateral organic lines of bronze-leaf, the colour connoting to notions of naturality. In this, the work highlights the connection between the self, the body, and earth, representing the relationship between environmental and personal pressures on expression; these notions inspired by Robert Mapplethorpe. 

Contrariwise, the artist’s use of wire connotes to restriction, thereby contrasting this idea to elucidate the confining aspects of contemporary society regarding one’s personal expression. The abstract work, semi-based in realism, thereby symbolises the restricted nature of expression in the body, whilst maintaining the notion of the body as a blank vessel for personal and creative expression.