New Arc: Ivan Martinez & Matthew Cox

June 14 – Oct 1, 2014

Performance Dates:

June 14, June 28, July 19, August 2, August 23, September 6, September 20.

At 85 Market Street in Newark, NJ, a vacant building clings to a large sign reading “The Furniture King.” Possibly a true statement in the building’s recent past, it is now a relic of a once thriving furniture community. By turning the storefront into a working studio, Ivan Martinez and Matthew Cox intend to revitalize the abandoned space using the vernacular of furniture design to illustrate the district’s transformation. For 7 days throughout the installation of “New Arc”, Ivan and Matthew will use the storefront to turn discarded furniture into a new art object. The space will be divided into a molding, casting, finishing, and display area. Viewers will be able to see how the artists plan and execute a piece of artwork each workday. Along with the objects, Ivan and Matthew will also create a hand painted sign for each of the 7 window panels along the 2nd floor. These signs recall the traditional “sale” and “going out of business” verbiage to speak about the artist’s own personal flaws, vulnerabilities, and loss. As is common with many older neighborhoods within metropolitan areas, Market Street will continue to change. Within this inevitability, Ivan and Matthew’s installation could be seen as the consolidation of Newark’s past and future. In converting the space to resemble an assembly line, the artists are simultaneously presenting a timeline of the building’s history. The title “New Arc” comes from Newark settler Abraham Pierson’s original name for the city, “New Ark” translated from “New Work”, referencing the community’s new task at hand.

Ivan Martinez is a Miami native born in 1980. After receiving a BFA at Florida State University in printmaking and photography he became an artist and art director in Miami and New York City. In 2012 Ivan graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an MFA in Design for Emerging Technologies. As an artist he has shown internationally, investigating the relationship between objects, narrative, and technology. He currently works and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Matthew Cox was born in 1980 in Baton Rouge, LA. He grew up in Miami, FL where he earned a BFA in sculpture from Florida International University in 2002. In 2006 he graduated from the University of Miami with an MFA in animation. He has recently exhibited work at SIGGRAPH Vancouver. While animations have been seen at various film festivals, among them Anthology Film Archive and Uribus Animax. Currently, he works and lives in Brooklyn, NY

For more information visit www.martinezivan.com

To view Ivan and Matthew’s work along with many other fascinating artist’s pieces live, stop by 75 Market Street, 77 Market Street and 85 Market Street in Newark New Jersey.

The new rotation will begin June 14th 2013 at dusk. Come by and experience the night life.