{"id":1807588,"date":"2026-03-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1807588"},"modified":"2026-03-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:00:00","slug":"in-cardboard-and-gold-narsiso-martinez-highlights-the-workers-of-american-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1807588","title":{"rendered":"In Cardboard and Gold, Narsiso Martinez Highlights the Workers of American Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a detail images of a collection of boxes with a portrait of a farm worker by Narsiso Martinez. in the figure's glasses is a reflection of other people standing in a group\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026). All photos by Yubo Dong, courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">In Cardboard and Gold, Narsiso Martinez Highlights the Workers of American Agriculture<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-04T16:02:13-06:00\">March 4, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-social-issues\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/social-issues\/\" rel=\"tag\">Social Issues<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F03%2Fnarsiso-martinez-sculpture-portraits%2F&amp;title=In%20Cardboard%20and%20Gold%2C%20Narsiso%20Martinez%20Highlights%20the%20Workers%20of%20American%20Agriculture\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"470718\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Americans are uniquely disconnected from our food. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/data-products\/chart-gallery\/chart-detail?chartId=58282\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">More than 10 percent<\/a> of the working population is employed in agricultural sectors, but it\u2019s rare for the average person to grapple with\u2014let alone witness\u2014the number of people involved in growing, harvesting, packaging, and ultimately getting dinner onto their plate. Given that many farms, restaurants, and other food-related businesses employ those who are undocumented, these sectors have also been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/06\/16\/nx-s1-5430846\/farming-industry-immigration-ice-worksite-enforcement-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">targeted for deportation<\/a>, further pushing the people who keep them running into the shadows.<\/p>\n<p>For <a href=\"https:\/\/www.narsisomartinezart.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Narsiso Martinez<\/a>, this essential labor has long been the central point of his practice. The Oaxaca-born artist is known for painting tender portraits on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/narsiso-martinez\/\">produce boxes<\/a>, utilizing the discarded packaging as a metaphor for how we assign value. Often working from photos, Martinez depicts people he knows and even worked alongside in the fields when he first migrated to the U.S.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-2.jpg\" alt=\"a tall work of stacked strawberry boxes with a portrait of a person harvesting on the side by Narsiso Martinez\" class=\"wp-image-470721\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For a recent presentation with Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles, Martinez stacked a collection of strawberry boxes to create a towering, double-sided totem. One features a masked person clutching a fistful of asparagus, while the other portrays a mechanical picker. Both crops grow low to the ground and require a significant amount of labor to harvest. By including the wheeled device, Martinez draws attention once again to the ways farm labor is often disregarded and the additional depersonalization of the agricultural process when machines replace people.<\/p>\n<p>Other works include an enormous wall-based installation featuring a single worker with a bandana covering his face, the stars and stripes of the American flag distorted as they wrap around his neck. The lenses of his sunglasses reflect a group of people gathered around a full spread, many holding their drinks as if to toast. \u201cIn a style informed by 1930s-era Social Realism and heightened through use of found materials, Martinez makes visible the difficult labor and onerous conditions of the \u2018American farmworker,\u2019 itself a compromised piece of language owing to the industry\u2019s conspicuous use of undocumented workers,\u201d says a statement from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjamesgallery.com\/artists\/narsiso-martinez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the gallery<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Martinez\u2019s work is on view in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2025\/07\/los-encuentros-ballroom-marfa\/\"><em>Los Encuentros<\/em><\/a> at Ballroom Marfa, which has been extended through March 29. Find more from him on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/narsisomartinez\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-1.jpg\" alt=\"a tall work of stacked strawberry boxes with a painting of a black machine on the side by Narsiso Martinez\" class=\"wp-image-470720\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025), ink, charcoal, and gouache on strawberry boxes, 74 x 23.5 x 12 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1424\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-3.jpg\" alt=\"a collection of boxes with a portrait of a farm worker by Narsiso Martinez\" class=\"wp-image-470722\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"\u201cGreen Fresh\u201d (2024), ink, charcoal, simple leaf, and matte gel on grape box, 32.75 x 26 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cGreen Fresh\u201d (2024), ink, charcoal, simple leaf, and matte gel on grape box, 32.75 x 26 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cGreen Fresh\u201d (2024), ink, charcoal, simple leaf, and matte gel on grape box, 32.75 x 26 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2470\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-4.jpg\" alt=\"a portrait of a farm worker on a flattened produce box by Narsiso Martinez\" class=\"wp-image-470723\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cGreen Fresh\u201d (2024), ink, charcoal, simple leaf, and matte gel on grape box, 32.75 x 26 inches<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-5.jpg\" alt=\"a person stands near a collection of boxes with a portrait of a farm worker by Narsiso Martinez\" class=\"wp-image-470724\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cRegador Sombrero de Cart\u00f3n\u201d (2026), acrylic, ink, charcoal, gouache, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 68 x 108 x 7 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-6.jpg\" alt=\"a detail image of a tall work of stacked strawberry boxes with a portrait of a person harvesting on the side by Narsiso Martinez\" class=\"wp-image-470725\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-7.jpg\" alt=\"a detail image of a tall work of stacked strawberry boxes with a painting of a black machine on the side by Narsiso Martinez\" class=\"wp-image-470726\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cAsparagus Picker\u201d (2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-9.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470718\" title=\"The artist in his studio\" data-rl_title=\"The artist in his studio\" data-rl_caption=\"The artist in his studio\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/martinez-9.jpg\" alt=\"Narsiso Martinez at work in his studio stacking boxes\" class=\"wp-image-470728\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The artist in his studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" 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(2026). All photos by Yubo Dong, courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery, shared with permission In Cardboard and Gold, Narsiso Martinez Highlights the Workers of American Agriculture March 4, 2026 ArtSocial Issues Grace Ebert Share Email Bookmark Americans are uniquely disconnected from our food. More than 10 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1807588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1807588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1807588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1807588\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1807588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1807588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1807588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}