NinaJohnson

Rachel Martin is an enrolled Tlingit artist who works and lives in Queens, NYC. She is of the Tsaagweidei, Killer Whale Clan, of the Yellow Cedar House (Xaai Hit’) Eagle Moiety.

Martin works primarily in work on paper, but also painting, sculpture, assemblage and murals. In her work, she focuses on themes of Indigenous sovereignty and tribal identity through images of traditional lifeways, matriarchal figures, landscapes and sea creatures with humorous undertones and layered symbolism. Some of her artworks delve into the harms wrought by colonization, while others consider connections between the human/animal/spirit worlds. Working primarily in sculpture and drawing, her compositions employ readymade materials and pop-cultural motifs that evoke a sense of familiarity and discovery.

Rachel’s work has attracted the attention and support of several notable private galleries and collectors as well as public institutions including Anchorage Museum in Alaska and Forge Project in Upstate New York. Recently, Rachel Martin was included in an exhibition at Sealaska Heritage Institute’s ‘Native Women’s Exhibit’ guest curated by Alison Bremner. Her work is currently included in the notable Gochman Family Collection, Anchorage Museum, Forge Project Collection, and the Marieluise Hessel Collection.