Carl Martin
by Carl Martin
25 years in the making, Carl Martin is a meditative look at the nature of what it is to see and be seen.
How do we present ourselves to the world and how is that presentation received – what does it mean? Ultimately, this is not a document that is specific to a place or time, it is more akin to a universal canvassing and inventory of humanity in the ordinary. Yet this plain, clear taking-in with a camera and film places us more in touch with the quirky, transcendent living presence of Martin’s Athens, Georgia neighbors and friends than you may have ever imagined possible. We feel we are looking through Carl’s eyes. And we are amazed. Supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, these photographs found Carl and fortunately they have now found us all.
“My practice for over twenty-five years has been to acknowledge and elevate existing culture using the intersection of subtle human gesture and a built social environment. Say, a casual side glance, a slight shifting of weight on one leg, the fold and tone of a particular arm, or the slight body twist and raising of face just over the shoulder to engage a viewer, within a sub or urban setting. I think that artists create moments with perspective and gesture to define a new entity. I believe that these entities can speak to our humanity and experience as human beings and communicate a link and alignment within ourselves to others.”
Artist Biography
Carl Martin is an artist based in Athens, GA. He studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He has won a Guggenheim Fellowship for photography, and his work is in collections at the Museum of Modern Art, MOCA GA, and the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
How do we present ourselves to the world and how is that presentation received–what does it mean? Ultimately, this is not a document that is specific to a place or time, it is more akin to a universal canvassing and inventory of humanity in the ordinary. Yet this plain, clear taking-in with a camera and film places us more in touch with the quirky, transcendent living presence of Martin’s Athens, Georgia neighbors and friends than you may have ever imagined possible. We feel we are looking through Carl’s eyes. And we are amazed. Supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, these photographs found Carl, and fortunately, they have now found us all.
37 color and 21 black and white photographs
80 pages
Hardcover
9.5" x 11.675"
First edition of 500
Essays by Michael David Murphy and Tim Davis
ISBN 978-0-9986490-4-7