José Carlos Martinat's Pintas series is a critical analysis of how political messages take shape and circulate in public spaces, especially in Latin American cities, where election campaigns are often displayed directly on walls.
Martinat approaches these interventions from two main perspectives: physical and conceptual, creating works that explore themes such as memory, propaganda, and cultural reappropriation. Using an innovative technique developed by the artist himself, Martinat physically extracts fragments of these graffiti, removing layers of paint to transfer the messages to exhibition spaces. This process not only preserves the visual memory of social struggles and ephemeral political discourses, but also decontextualizes these images, inviting new interpretations of power, propaganda, and the fragility of messages in public space.
The Pintas series has generated debates about artistic authorship, the impact of urban art, and its reinterpretation when incorporated into institutional settings. It has been exhibited in internationally renowned museums and galleries and is part of important collections, such as the Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, among others.
José Carlos Martinat (Lima, Peru, 1974) lives and works between Madrid and Lima. He is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the intersection between the real and the virtual. His work, based on architecture and memory, uses multimedia installations and assemblages to question context.
His work has been exhibited in institutions in Latin America, Europe, and the United States, including: Mercosur Biennial (Brazil), Puerto Rico Polygraphic Triennial, Havana Biennial (Cuba), Eva+A Nord Ireland Biennial (Ireland), Nord Holland Biennial (Netherlands, with Marljolijn Dijkman), Shanghai Biennial (China), Carrillo Gil (Mexico), Saatchi Gallery (London), Tate Modern (London), Museo Marco de Vigo (Spain), IFA (Germany), La Laboral (Spain), Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI, Peru), Pinacoteca (Sao Paulo), WWVF (Netherlands), and Bienal de Bogotá 2025 (Colombia). His work also forms part of collections such as: Museum of Modern Art (MOMA, New York), TATE Modern (London), Saatchi Gallery (London); Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI, Peru) and Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA, Argentina).