Photos By Gail

In Weeping Warrior (2022), Patrick Martinez interweaves influences from Mexico and Los Angeles to celebrate the Latinx community and the city’s ever-changing nature. According to Martinez, the mirrored tiles are inspired by the downtown bar La Cita, while the neon evokes the patterns and signs of LA storefront and restaurants.


Neon Detail of Weeping Warrior

The image of a warrior in the center of the work references murals at Cacaxtla, an archaeological site located in Central Mexico. Martinez extends Mayan blue and greenstones into the tile work. In turn, the painting recalls the Aztec and Mayan murals seen throughout LA, often on market walls, that indicate and preserve identity and culture for the Latinx community as the architectural landscape of the city changes.

Photographed in The Broad Museum in Los Angeles