Artist Statement
As a visual artist working across photography, drawing, and painting, I explore the connections between oceanic and desert landscapes and the passage of time. My large charcoal drawings and painted interventions on found materials—such as printed matter, cardboard, and wood—evoke the enduring dialogue between water, land, and human experience.
I photograph locations shaped by erosion and previous use, sometimes utilizing vintage cameras that carry their own histories, which become integral to the narrative of each image. My practice emphasizes reuse, focusing on weathered materials and the imperfections of vintage cameras—scratches, light leaks, and wear—that reflect how time marks both tools and landscapes.
Growing up in a port city, I was surrounded by stories of emigration and departure, shaping my view of the ocean as a space of transition and possibility. This coastal sensibility infuses my work with themes of uncertainty, movement, and the slow accumulation of history.
Influenced by the atmospheric landscapes of Turner, the photography and layered assemblages of Rauschenberg, and Phyllida Barlow’s material explorations, I create photographs and tactile, reflective pieces that embrace the handmade and celebrate the quiet transformations of time.
By embracing the imperfections of both my materials and my process, I celebrate the beauty of transformation and invite viewers to reflect on their own journeys through time and space.
Artist Bio Born in the UK and currently residing in Los Angeles, Martin Cox is a lifelong photographer from Southampton who transitioned to drawing and painting during the pandemic. His work explores themes deeply rooted in his personal experiences and family history with seafaring. After showcasing his art in London galleries, Cox embarked on a transatlantic journey, drawing inspiration from California’s diverse landscapes and exhibiting in New York City and San Francisco. His artistic explorations took him to Iceland, where he presented a solo exhibition that blended photography and collage at the Husavik Art & Culture Museum. Cox’s current focus on charcoal drawing and painting extends his maritime themes onto unconventional surfaces, including cardboard and old documents. He also creates large-scale drawings on archival paper and engaging collages, deftly weaving personal narratives, cultural nuances, and environmental concerns into his visual repertoire.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Snow Drawings, Fabrik Gallery, Culver City, CA 2018
Museum of Ennui, ShoeBox Projects 2018
Right Here Far Away, HUSAVIK MUSEUM, Husavik, Iceland 2017
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
The Flag Show, ShoeBox Projects, Los Angeles, (painting) 2026
Hold Dear, 3cGallery, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, (photography) 2025
BFF: Modern Portraits, 33Contemporary Gallery, West Palm Beach, Fl. (photography) 2025
Through the Ages, I-5 Gallery, Los Angeles (photography) 2024
Bodies of Water, 33Contemporary Gallery, West Palm Beach, Fl (charcoal drawing) 2024
Trees, A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, Tx 2024 (photography)
Terra Sylva, LA ArtCore Brewery Annex, 2023 (photography)
DOT show, I-5 Gallery, Los Angeles, 2023 (mixed media)
Blue Hour: Above and Below, curated by Kim Abeles, Warehouse One, San Pedro, 2023 (mixed media)
Snow Drawing, ThinkingAboutPhotography.com, Theme: Water, curated by Ann Mitchell, online with 6 artists, 2023
“Perceive me”, group show curated by Kristine Schomaker, Coastline College Art Gallery, Newport Beach, CA October 2022
Terra Figmenta, Academy of the Senses, Icelandic Art Center, Westjords Iceland Summer 2022
Size Matters, Terra Figmenta, Medium Photo at Sparks Gallery, San Diego, Spring 2022
The Art of Transformation, Visionary Art Collective, Brooklyn, online 2022
“Perceive me”, group show curated by Kristine Schomaker, MOAH, Museum of Art & History, Lancaster, CA 2021-2
Velocity of decline, photographic installation, The FACTORY, Djúpavik, Iceland summer 2021
Celebrating Matter, MATTER STUDIO GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA 2020
Perceive me, CAL STATE LA, 2020
Reflecting Matter, MATTER STUDIO GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA 2019
One Louder, 11 photographers on LA, NEUTRA INSTITUTE, (curated by Dulce Stein) Silver Lake, CA 2018
California Rising, Fabrik Projects, Culver City, 2017
Salton Sea: Past, Present, Future, UC Riverside, Palm Desert, CA 2017
The Solbrekka Show, Fjuk Art Centre, Húsavík, Iceland, 2016
LAND: Interactions Pasadena Photography Arts at Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, 2015
Divergence: Photographs from Elsewhere, FotoFreo 2012 and FORM present an epic survey of international contemporary photography, Freemantle, Australia, March 2012
ART FAIRS
Startup Art Fair, The Kinney, Venice CA 2026
Fiore d’Art Miniature, Pasadena, CA 2024
Photo Independent, The Reef, Los Angeles, CA 2017
Photo LA, Sarah Lee PROJECTS, The Reef, Los Angeles, CA 2015
COLLABORATIONS
Call @ Response, collaborative artist’s book project with artist Jeannin Chanin Penn. Shoe Box collaborations, 2026
Call @ Response, collaboration with distance. Shoe Box collaborations with Kristine Schomaker, Francisco Alvarado, Diane Cockerill, 2020
Landscape images projected for Icelandique, operatic/photographic, music: O-Lan Jones, mezzo soprano: Gretchen Johnson, Cello: Nicole Calhoun, 2016
Landscape images Included in Open Desert Music and Photographic Arts Showcase, by Cristopher Cichocki, The Annenberg Theatre, Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA 2016
Shared Skies, by Kim Abeles, an exhibit of digital prints of sky photographs from artists throughout the world, Art-Science Gallery of the National Science for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 2014
RESIDENCIES
Los Angeles Maritime Museum, San Pedro, October 2024
GilsfjordurArts, Kroksfjardarnes, Iceland August 2021
GilsfjordurArts, Kroksfjardarnes, Iceland Sept 2019
Fjuk Art Centre, Husavik, Iceland, February – March 2016
PUBLIC COMMISSIONS
Hollyhock House, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, CD-13 Echo Park, Los Angeles 2015
Harbour View, Los Angeles Maritime Museum commissioned wall mural for permanent display 2015
PRESENTATIONS
Artist’s talk, Hlunnindasyning, Reykholar, Iceland, May 2019
Artist’s talk, Snow Drawing, Fabrik Projects, Los Angeles, July 2018
Artist’s talk, Pasadena Photography Arts, Pasadena, 2016
Artist’s talk, Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, 2015
Artists’ talk, Photographer’s Eye: Los Angeles Central Library, 2015
INTERVIEWS
Interview by Voyage LA on artist Martin Cox founding an artist residency project in Echo Park Los Angeles, 2025
60 over 60, Art and Cake, Los Angeles, 2024
Interview, Voyage LA 2023
Podcast interview by Erick and Jenny on Wallflowers in Bloom. October 2020 Episode 16 – Landscapes and Maritime Imaginings with Photographer Martin Cox
ShoutOutLA online magazine Nov 2020. Meet Martin Cox | Artist, Photographer & Iceland Artist Residency Founder
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (with Honors), Exeter College of Art & Design, UK
Fine Art Foundation course, Winchester School of Art, UK
ARTICLES, PUBLICATIONS
Snow Drawing, ThinkingAboutPhotography.com, Theme: Water, curated by Ann Mitchell, online with 6 artists, 2023
Visionary Art Collective, print magazine Issue no.4 November 2022
Interview: Artist in Lockdown by Sergio Gomez, Chicago, 2020
URVOR Magazine, interview, artist and residency founder Martin Cox, Westfjords, Iceland 2019
LISTAMANNAHÚS Á GILSFJARÐARBREKKU, BB.is Westfjords Iceland publication, July 2018
Martin Cox: Visual Poetry Both Epic and Haiku, Diversions LA by Genie Davis July 2018
Featured Artist Martin Cox, VoyageLA, June 2018
Martin Cox’s Museum of Ennui in The Closet at Shoebox Projects, Art & Cake Contemporary Art Magazine, May 2018
An Interview with Photographer Martin Cox – Iceland, Outerspace and Humanity by Sophia Groves, Nordic Style Magazine, June 2017
Lenscratch – Fine Art Daily, Martin Cox: Cold Desert interview by Aline Smithson, August 2017.
Our Ever Changing World: Through the Eyes of Artists #4 Artists, ART & Stories (Volume 4) by Karrie Ross 2016
Lenscratch – Fine Art Daily, Martin Cox: LANDED review by Aline Smithson, May 2015
The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide (New York). A bimonthly journal of history, culture and politics Volume 20, Issue 3: June 2013
Lenscratch- Fine Art Daily, review by Aline Smithson, Feb 2011
AFFILIATIONS
Latitude for Art, Founder and Board of Directors 2019-present
LACE, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Board of Directors 1995-97
LALOP, Los Angeles League of Photographers, Board of Directors 2004-2006
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Húsavík Museum, Iceland. Los Angeles Maritime Museum, USA. Sea City Museum, Southampton, UK.
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Hayley Barker, Fabrik Projects (Chris Davies), Studio For Southern California History, California Wilderness Coalition, Sarah Lee (Sarah Lee Projects), David Fraire (Metro Gallery), Robin Blackmon (Fototeka Gallery), Michael Hale (HaleArts Space), Maria Bamford, Sara Jane Boyers, Paris Barclay, Dr Sigrid Hackenberg, John & Lynn Pleshette, David & Diana Jacobs, Paul Reiser, Robert Greenbaum.