When visiting a museum, it is not often that visitors are invited to touch the artwork on display. That changes on December 4, when visitors to the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art are encouraged to breakdown that barrier in the exhibition Touchy Touchy. Featuring kinetic sculptures by Central Coast based artist Marrin Lee Martinez, the exhibition runs from December 4 through February 28, 2022.
Action words adjacent to the works of art invite visitors to participate with these brightly colored soft-sculptures. Created as a response to Martinez’s experience as a mother, these actions are a symbolic provoking of “The Mother,” who in turn reacts dramatically, becoming a spectacle for others to see. This engagement with these sculptures explores a mother’s physical sensitivity to their child’s constant touch. Do you dare climb, poke, spin, push, or tug? If you do, please be gentle. We wouldn’t want Mom to freak out!
Mothers often find themselves in the position of Lead Parent, handling the bulk of caregiving and domestic duties regardless of employment status. For many, the parenting experience is marred by a lack of resources, including access to affordable quality childcare and postnatal mental health services. This is certainly true for Martinez, whose practice takes place almost exclusively in the margins of time – between the moments her small child needs caring for. Each work is created with accessible materials sourced from the domestic space, materials at hand that allow Martinez to continue her artistic practice while balancing her role as Mother and Lead Parent.
“In the art world, artist mothers and the work they create about that experience are often overlooked. I am proud to see SLOMA host this exhibition that explores this historically ignored topic,” stated SLOMA Curator Courtney Davis.
