About
José Jun Martínez (Bayamón, 1992) is a London-based visual artist from Puerto Rico. His practice spans a decade of immersive contemplation in natural environments, translating his perceptions and memories into a language of painting materiality. He received a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras (2015) and an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in London, where he was awarded the Valerie Beston Artists’ Trust Prize (2024). His recent solo exhibitions include “Esto También Permanece” (Fundación Ángel Ramos, San Juan, 2022) and “El abrazo de las fieras” (Walter Otero Contemporary Art, San Juan, 2022) and upcoming shows in Galería Leyendecker, Tenerife; Matt Carey-Williams, London; and Ordovas, London.
“I paint places of encounter for ecological, historical, and poetic reflections that transcend location specificity, creating sensorial, conceptual, and emotional bridges of experience. Approaching the subjects from an immersive perspective, the paintings embody a sense of solidarity and a commitment to liberation. Coming from a land that, like many others, is continually threatened and exploited by political and economic structures, I insist on painting as an act of reaffirmation while holding the tensions between beauty and violence, praise and lament, celebration and protest." JJM 2024
Photo credit: Raquel Perez Puig, 2023
© Raquel Perez Puig 2023
CV
EDUCATION
2024 MA Painting - Royal College of Art, London
2015 BA Humanities - Fine Arts. University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
2010 Central School of Visual Arts, San Juan
TEACHING
2018-2023 Painting Techniques Professor. Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan
2015-2019 Fine Arts Teacher. Centro de Desarrollo Integral, InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, Metro Campus, Guaynabo
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
[Forthcoming: Ordovas. London. 2025]
[Forthcoming: Matt Carey-Williams. London. 2025]
[Forthcoming: Galería Leyendecker. Tenerife. 2025]
Esto también permanece. SalaFAR. Fundación Ángel Ramos. San Juan. 2022.
El abrazo de las fieras. Walter Otero Contemporary Art. San Juan. 2022
La inmensa sencillez de las cosas. Espacio Emergente. Bayamón. 2022
Entretanto: exhibición de obra en proceso. Walter Otero Contemporary Art. San Juan. 2020.
Dos lugares y ninguno. Walter Otero Contemporary Art. San Juan. 2018.
Ein Waldgänger. Curated by Omar Pascual-Castillo. Nova Invaliden Galerie, Berlin. 2017
All Things New, Walter Otero Contemporary Art, San Juan. 2016
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Segunda Bienal Sala FAR. Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, 2023.
Reclamar el suelo, Declamar la tierra. Curated by Arte-Suelo-Ser. Hidrante, San Juan. 2021.
Nada es suficiente. Curaduría de Radamés “Juni" Figueroa. el kilómetro, San Juan. 2021.
Habitantes: espacio | memoria | idendidad. Museo de Arte de Bayamón. 2021
Landmark. el kilómetro. San Juan. 2020
La Colección: Miguel Pou. Museo de la Historia de Ponce. Ponce. 2017
II Gran Bienal Tropical. Curated by Pablo de la Barra, Marina Reyes & Stefan Benchoam. Loíza. 2016
Del Natural, Galería San Juan Bautista, Museo de San Juan, San Juan. 2016
Drawing Conclusions, Walter Otero Contemporary Art, San Juan. 2016
16ta Edición Muestra Nacional de Artes del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, San Juan. 2015
RESIDENCIES
Proyecto de Artistas Residentes de Bayamón - 2021-2023
Vermont Studio Center - Displaced Artist Fund Fellowship Award. January 2018