Skip to main content

Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Migration Is Natural

Patrick Martinez borrows the visual language of neon signs used in storefront windows in his L.A. neighborhood. Instead of trying to sell a product, Martinez’s works feature slogans plucked from protest signs, news headlines, and civil rights demonstrations spanning this country’s history. About his works, Martinez states, “To be honest, I don’t really think I will reshape anyone’s politics or point of view. I would like to record history that will inevitably be pushed back on and contested.”

ArtistPatrick Martinez, born 1980
Date2019/2021
MediumNeon on acrylic, transformer, and wire
Dimensions23 7/8 x 36 x 3 in. (60.6 x 91.4 x 7.6 cm)
Inscription(s)verso, u.l., scratched into black acrylic framework: 3/3 verso, u.r., scratched into black acrylic framework: M22 verso, c.: NO STRUGGLE
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2021.65
ClassificationSculpture
Provenance(Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA); purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2021
On ViewNo
Migration Is Natural23.9 × 36 in.Tennis Ball2.7 in. diameter

This artwork's face covers about 118× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.