Juan Martinez Bengoechea
Bio
Juan Martínez Bengoechea (January 4, 1957) is a Chilean graphic designer and visual artist. Educated at the German School and a graduate of the University of Chile, he built a career of over 30 years in advertising, where he served as creative director at Prolam, leaving a significant mark in the field of graphic design and visual communication. After retiring from advertising, Martínez found a new form of artistic expression in painting, guided by his son and mentor, the artist Diego Martínez Zubieta.
His current work is characterized by a nostalgic reimagining of past eras, merging elements from the 1920s and 1930s into visual compositions that combine digital techniques and realistic painting. Martínez transforms monochromatic images into vibrant scenes full of color, exploring a style that suggests a poetic and evocative realism.
Statement
Juan Martínez creates compositions inspired by the 1920s and 1930s through digital montages that are later materialized in realistic painting. His works depict period characters and objects in wide landscapes that suggest improbable situations, creating a sense of dislocation or “real surrealism.” Martínez sources images from public databases, cuts them out, and arranges them to suggest nostalgic yet artificial scenes. This process, described as “utopian plagiarism,” transforms static, monochromatic photos into scenes full of color and life, reimagining the past and giving it a new visual context.
2.5 x 4m / 98.4 x 157 in
