Diana Martin is a Mexican visual artist who has not stopped drawing professionally since 2001, when she had her first solo exhibition. From a very young age, she filled entire white sheet notebooks with drawings and there is not a time in her life when she does not remember being drawing. Her thing has always been to tell stories through images, to create fascinating characters that are born directly from their experiences with the world.
Her stories take place in the same place: The Wrong Side of Town, her favorite instruments to string them together, graphite and ink. Her first character was Siax Lanke, a hermit who lives locked up in his house terrified by the ringing of his telephone, he was followed by Klodia Columbario, a one-eyed woman who, with the help of her scalpel, knows where to cut to empty the emotions burdening people’s hearts. Then, Errut Trastabire took shape to find her place before the ocean, leaving behind her trade as a shoe polisher and it was in her new home on the coast that he received Nadir, a boy who desperately sought to escape the role that had been assigned to him by his parents. Later, Diana conceived Lavinia Borromeo, a vaudeville singer who ends up discovering that her assiduous audience has always been ghosts, Klodia and Lavina end up becoming close friends, listening carefully to each other while in the deep alleys of the damp city Selma Lúnula mends broken umbrellas to give to the umbrellaless and appease the wet fish that jump nonstop in their chamber, never dying.
She also spun the story of The Pursuers, a couple who have a good encounter but when they take the sea together in a boat made of a wood splinter, with a rose petal as a sail, they will be shipwrecked and will have to swim to the coast, separated to never be together again. From her hand Anja and Saskia were also born, the first yearns to have a dog and achieves it by becoming an umbrella dog that will be her shield against the elements, the second one gets rid of the threat of some orange-eyed aunts who invade her house, and then she ventures underground where she will inadvertently disrespect the beings of the depths. Mab and Cordelia, sisters with unique locomotion problems, took shape when Diana fell in love with the technique of ink, they were followed by Lux, a woman obsessed with bringing the gift of sight to the blind of the world. Color has made little foray into Diana’s work, but it did strongly in the story of Mirna, a mute weaver who wishes to cover The Wrong Side of the city with a multicolored cloak. The theme of hunger has also been explored with the visual narration of the Gourmets, a couple who, no matter how much they eat, cannot reach satiety.
Diana has focused on the production of personal work and all these stories have been exhibited in various venues around the world, her book “Serafina y el Ardid Insondable” was selected to represent Mexico at the Comic and Graphic Novel International Fair in Angouleme, France in 2018.
Diana brings her audience closer to the work in a unique and immersive way with the “Drawing Tasting” format. At these events, she provides magnifying glasses and gloves to attendees who appreciate the frameless and glassless works while she tells the story and answers questions.
In February 2020 Diana took one of her most recent characters, Lord Diadema, to Tokyo, where he had a pop up show at the Design Festa Gallery in the dynamic Harajuku neighborhood and had a very warm welcome. She is currently working on her next two books and her new drawing exhibit.
Main Solo Shows
- Between the lines, we dream in black and white. Javier Arévalo Gallery of La Maison des Auteurs Zapopan. (September – November 2021)
- Lord Diadema in Japan, Design Festa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (Feb 2020)
- Drawing Tasting #3, Casa Teodora, Guadalajara, México (Nov 2019)
- Serafina and Lord Diadema, Panamerican University, Guadalajara, México (Nov 2018-Jan 2019)
- Drawing Tasting #2, Palíndromo, Guadalajara, México (Oct 2017)
- Drawing Tasting #1, Palíndromo, Guadalajara, México (Sep 2016)
- Las Historias, Galería Dr. Atl del Colegio de Jalisco, Zapopan, México (Sep 2015 – Oct 2015)
- Strange Acquaintances, Raúl Anguiano Hall, General Mexico Consulate in Los Angeles, U.S.A. (Oct 2012- Jan 2013)
- Gourmets Portraits, French Alliance of Guadalajara, Mexico. (Apr 2010-May 2010)
- Saskia in the Subway, Juárez Metro Station Art Gallery, Guadalajara, Mexico. (Noc 2009- Jan 2010)
- Mirna de Ciglia and her secret endless dress, Ruiz Rojo Art Gallery, Guadalajara, Mexico. (Jul 2007- Aug 2007)
- Anja Epitwee and her four-legged umbrella, Marziart Internationale Gallerie, Hamburg, Germany (Sep 2007- Oct 2007)
- A bird sings of the fourth floor, Casa de la Palabra y las Imágenes, Guadalajara, Mexico (Jun 2006- Jul 2006)
- Lavinia Borromeo, Casa de Ensueños Art Gallery, Guadalajara, Mexico (Oct 2006- Dec 2006)
- Los Perseguidores, Art and Culture Forum, Guadalajara Mexico (Feb 2005- Mar 2005)
Main Group Shows
- Pocket divinities, imperfect spells, Ruiz Rojo Art Gallery, Guadalajara, Mexico (2008)
- October Salon, Former Del Carmen Convent, Guadalajara, Mexico (2007)
- LatinAmerican Art Auction MACLA, San José, U.S.A. (2006)
- Mail Art Show, Wilfredo Lamm Gallery, La Havana, Cuba (2005)
- Mail Art Show, Seni Gallery,Design and Art Faculty, Kuala Lumpur, Malasya (2005)
Main Contribuitions
- Illustrations for the gender equity issue of Tierra Adentro CONACULTA (National Council for the Culture and Arts) magazine, Mexico (Apr 2014- Jun 2014)
- Illustrations for the Metaphors and Science article of ISEL magazine of Lomas de Zamora studies institute, Argentina (Dec 2013)
- Illustrations for Juan Peregrino doesn´t save the World short story book co-authored with writer Rafael Villegas, Paraíso Perdido publishers. Mexico (Oct 2012)
- Cover art for KY Magazine, Mexico (Jul 2010)
General and artistic studies:
- Graphic Design Technical High School, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara Center for Technical Studies. (1994-1997)
- Visual Arts Diploma Course, Colomos Cultural Center. (1999-2001)
- Watercolor workshop with teacher Emilio Galindo, La Casa de la Acuarela (1999-2001)
- Watercolor private workshop with teacher Luis Eduardo González (2001)
- Ink private workshop with teacher Francisco del Muro (2002)
- Engraving workshop with teacher Herculano Álvarez, P.T. Studio (2005-2007)
- Japanese language and shoudo workshop with teacher Fumiko Ogura, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and Kyoto University of Foreign Languages (2000-2003)
- History of art private classes with teacher Sunny Montoya. (2004)
- Enamel used on copper plates workshop with teacher Maricarmen Gutiérrez, Casa Blanca Cultural Center (2004)
- Iconography, composition and art philosophy private tutorials with teacher Toni Guerra, Exágono Gallery.
- Engraving workshop with teacher José Gutiérrez (2010-2011)