We sat down with Isabel M Martinez back in July and talked to her about her practice. Isabel's work deals with the aspects of experience where the real, the known and the imagined blends. She says "Perception is a recurring theme within my practice. My visual interpretations are informed in part by science, philosophy, and fiction...Process and experimentation with the qualities and materials of analogue photography are at the forefront of much of my work" 

Isabel spent her formative years in Santiago de Chile. She has exhibited internationally in solo and curated group shows in galleries, art centres, festivals and biennials in Canada, the UK, the USA, Chile, France, Brazil, Colombia, Spain and the Netherlands. Notable exhibitions include the Museo Nacional de la Fotografia (Bogota), Tenerife Espacio de las Artes to name a few. Her work has been featured and reviewed in print and online, and placed on the cover of books, journals and magazines. Notable publications include FOAM magazine, The Creators Project, The Huffington Post, the cover of Prefix Photo Magazine and many more. 

What advice would you give a woman entering the art world? Resist following trends, be aware of what they are so that you can avoid them. Follow your own path. Make your practice sustainable, plan long-term. Be generous yet protect your intellectual property. 

Has your practice changed over time? Who has influenced it? Where any of them women? Yes, my practice has evolved throughout the years as I seek ways to make visible images that I cannot see. I began as a sculptor and moved along to installation on my way to making images using light. My practice has been influenced by Tacita Dean, Nancy Holt, Agnes Martin. Hilma af Klint and Emma Kunz sit front row lately. 

The most interesting texture/object you’ve drawn inspiration from? The incidental prisms on bevelled edge glass, candle holders, candy bowls, crystal glasses, and chandeliers. The bending of images, the decomposition of light, the rooms filled with rainbows. It was fascinating as a child. It never gets old. 

If you were to have a “night at a museum” which one would you pick. The Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland. Probably the most calming museum I have ever been to. The architecture allows for nooks of solitude, space flows seamlessly. You can really concentrate and absorb the artworks unencumbered by your surroundings.