Bodies Politic

Cordesa Fine Art is pleased to present, Bodies Politic, a solo exhibition featuring Martin Machado. On display will be a selection of meticulous ink drawings, photography, and large scale sculptures created from a much traveled shipping container. Martin Machado spends at least a quarter of his year at sea working both as a merchant marine and commercial fisherman. Bodies Politic will be on display April 8th - May 6th with a reception for the artist April 8th from 7-9pm. Machado will be in attendance.

Machado uses photography to document his experience working as a merchant marine on international container ships. These photographs serve as a platform from which Machado ventures further through ink on paper and sculptural works; exploring concepts of colonialism, national identity, exoticism, time, and environmentalism. The thread throughout this body of work is the sea; connecting us all to our past and possible future.

In describing the role of labor in his art Machado states: “We trade portions of our life in exchange for sustenance while doing the bidding of our employers. In today’s global market, pinpointing who that employer is however has become increasingly difficult. In no field is the case murkier than the maritime trade industry wherein flags of convenience, multi-national conglomerates, and government-subsidized shipping have blurred the lines of its sailor’s identities.”

Martin Machado received his Master of Fine Arts from The San Francisco Art Institute and his work is in several private collections throughout the United States and South America. Recently, his work was exhibited in a two person exhibition at the Museo Italo Americano in San Francisco, CA and in the Euphrat Museum of Art in Cupertino, California. This is his first solo show with Cordesa Fine Art and his home port is currently, San Francisco California.