News & Events
Memoria, Mito y Transformación
Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira · Ponce, Puerto Rico
Oscar Luis Martínez presents Memoria, Mito y Transformación, a major exhibition at the Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira in Ponce. The exhibition brings together large-scale paintings exploring cultural memory, ancestral presence, spirituality, mythology, identity and transformation.
Rooted in Martínez's Puerto Rican heritage and shaped by decades of artistic practice connected to Puerto Rico and Chicago, the exhibition approaches memory as a living force through which personal and collective histories continue to transform.
Opening: October 1, 2026, 7:00 p.m. · Closing: October 25, 2026.
University of Puerto Rico Biennial
Oscar Luis Martínez has been selected to participate in the 2026 University of Puerto Rico Biennial. The presentation continues his renewed engagement with Puerto Rico's artistic community and places his work in dialogue with contemporary approaches to cultural identity, memory, spirituality and transformation.
Martínez's Paintings Featured on the Cover of Quadrangle
The University of Illinois' Quadrangle magazine featured the Spurlock Museum on its cover with a student viewing monumental paintings by Oscar Luis Martínez.
The cover documents Martínez's continuing connection to the University of Illinois and the presentation of his work within a university museum setting, bringing his large-scale paintings into dialogue with students, scholarship and the wider community.
Evanston Art Center Exhibition
Second Floor Main and Atrium Galleries
The Evanston Art Center has formally offered Oscar Luis Martínez a position in its exhibition schedule from November 4 through December 10, 2028, with his work planned for the Second Floor Main and Atrium Galleries.
The exhibition extends Martínez's long artistic connection to Illinois while presenting a substantial body of work shaped by Puerto Rican cultural memory, migration, spirituality and transformation.
Illinois Arts Council Grant
Oscar Luis Martínez received an Illinois Arts Council Creative Catalyst grant in support of his continuing artistic practice and documentation. The award reflects sustained public investment in the development and presentation of his work.
Between Memory and Metamorphosis
The Visionary Art of Oscar Luis Martínez
Between Memory and Metamorphosis is a major full-color monograph documenting more than five decades of Martínez's artistic practice. Through paintings, curatorial interpretation and historical context, the publication traces a visual language centered on Puerto Rican cultural memory, migration, spirituality, ancestral presence, identity and transformation.
The 9 × 12 inch publication contains 64 full-color art pages and was produced in hardcover and softcover editions for collectors, curators, museums, universities and cultural institutions.
New Catalog Release – Between Memory and Metamorphosis
My new 60-page art catalog is now published in both hardcover and softcover collector’s editions. It documents my recent series exploring memory, transformation, and cultural identity, and will be distributed to museums, curators, and collectors throughout 2025.
New Painting
I have recently completed a large-scale canvas that continues my exploration of identity, spirituality, and ancestral memory. The work features a powerful female figure whose presence merges mythological symbolism with natural forces, carrying forward themes of resilience and transformation that define my practice.
Thank you to the community of supporters, curators, and collectors who continue to follow my journey and help share my work with a wider audience.
Borikén: Las Raíces de Retorno – Semilla inmortal (2025), Oil on Canvas, 64 × 100 in.
The Borikén series is a journey through memory, ancestry, and spirit. Each work speaks to the living connection between the island and its people—the roots that hold, the spirits that guide, and the skies that dream beyond time. This final piece is both culmination and offering: the embodiment of Borikén as Mother, rooted in the earth yet reaching into the cosmos. Her body becomes tree and soil, veins becoming roots, carrying the wisdom of ancestors. The ethereal figure beside her suggests transcendence—the soul’s journey beyond matter, the eternal echo of Taíno, Spanish, and African memory. Here, Borikén does not end. She transforms.
Stay informed about upcoming exhibitions, events, and new artwork releases.