
About Chad Martinez
Chad Martinez is a professional marketer and mixed media artist. He studied photography and art history at the Academy of Art San Francisco and mentored under painter Bob Bruman. He is currently working primarily in collage but also explores painting, sound/video art, sculpture, murals and ai art. He is influenced heavily by artists Kenneth Anger, Majorie Cameron, Brion Gysin, Luigo Russolo and the philosophy of Thelema. His work could be categorized into what is now commonly referred to as “esoteric art,” exploring themes of initiation, the Western Esoteric, and the syncretic nature of religions.

Artist’s Statement
Why collage? I like to explore ways of visually representing the subconscious which I believe conveys understanding of the greater mysteries of Birth, Love, Sex, and Death. Like dreams, collage is juxtaposed images and impressions. During our waking hours we favor our attention to certain stimuli while ignoring a bombardment of fragmented stimuli. What is ignored is absorbed into our subconscious then recontextualized in dreams. A process not unlike collage making.
I am fascinated by the history of collage and its place in The Western Esoteric tradition.
Collage is also a very accessible medium for an artist in relation to material costs. It is often free or relatively inexpensive material that is used. This is of no small importance because it allows the artist to explore unobstructed by the hesitation that accompanies the stress of wasting expensive art supplies. Enabling them to create continually, delivered from the lust of result.
At the very least, I believe the process of creating art exerts a subtle force that is beneficial to the artist. The resulting synthesis of artist, object, and viewer also becomes a subtle (and on rare occasion, radical) force. The remaining artifact in that sense, is a Magickal talisman.