Playful Absurdity: Paintings by Sergio Martinez

Sergio Martinez is a Chilean artist whose large-scale oil paintings treat hyperrealism not as an end in itself, but as a vehicle for absurdity. He uses realism as a stage, crafting scenes where the body becomes a prop, a performer or a fragment within carefully constructed compositions.

His paintings feel simultaneously staged and alive, often drawing from the language of theatre, dance and cabaret. Figures share the canvas with oversized plush toys, inflatable unicorns and fairground kitsch, while materials shift between glossy, translucent plastics, soft fabric textures and meticulously rendered skin. Across it all, there’s a consistent push against restraint, exploring beauty, vulnerability and control through playful, at times unsettling compositions.

For more of Sergio Martinez’s work, take a look at his profile on Instagram.

More art on the grid via Galeries Bartoux