CAMERON MARTINEZ - TAOS PUEBLO - IAIA
(up and coming artist to watch!)
My name is Cameron Martinez Jr. and I am a twenty-four year old photography student at the Institute of American Indian Arts. I am working on a BFA in Studio Arts, but very recently began a quest to take on moving images as well.
Being a member of Taos Pueblo has influenced my artistic mind giving the feet I walk upon this earth with deep roots in my culture. I must say that the content behind my work shifts towards socio/political commentaries, not only in the realm of Native societies but also in the modern world that we all are a construct of. I would be lying if I didn’t say that these eyes also see the beauty of the world for what it is and that I do enjoy photography for purely aesthetic reasons.
Currently most of my projects consist of black and white photography. Darkroom photography is a fine art and it is the perfect medium for my creative endeavors.
Fanciful manipulation with multiple exposures using conventional photographic film techniques spark my interest and I will continue to advocate this medium.
But, of course to survive today as a photographer one must be well schooled in digital media too. So I have broken my workload down to all photos done in black and white is shot in film and all photographs in color are shot digitally.
As an artist, the journey is always self-discovery and my work is continuously growing. Everyday situations and new experience influence this creativity to mold the world around me, so what I create today changes tomorrow.
It is my goal in life to be forever open to change and invite knowledge, whatever it may be, to grace my doorstep because the earth, the cosmos are never stagnant. As the elders of my community would say “ keep one eye in the past and one eye in the future so you are always grounded”.
