Johannesburg based artist, Sue Martin, has been honing her painting and printmaking skills since the 1980s when she completed a BA Fine Arts degree at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg (now University of KwaZulu-Natal). Martin boldly engages and experiments with a variety of techniques and media to produce her compelling, as well as, deeply personal artworks. Her skilful manipulation of composition and typography adds texture to her work, her personal identity, against a wider historical backdrop.
In the intervening twenty years since Martin’s first solo exhibition in 1999, she has participated in numerous group exhibitions and Art Fairs across South Africa. In addition, Martin has produced several successful solo exhibitions that have established her as prominent feature in the South African art market. In 2010, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) recognised Martin’s work and acquired the series Urban Cowboys (2009) for its permanent collection. Moreover, earlier this year, the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce (JCCI) added a selection of paintings and prints, from Martin’s series The Cartographer’s Notes (2020), to its permanent collection. Martin was also been invited by Mark Attwood to participate in the prestigious residency at The Artists’ Press in September 2023.
Working from her Johannesburg-based studio, Martin continues to exhibit her work extensively with various galleries such as Knysna Fine Art, Origin Art Gallery, Artist Proof Studio, The Viewing Room and The White River Gallery. Most recently her work was selected as part of an exhibition at Grande Provence, Franschhoek. Her work has been shown at Latitudes Art Fair, Turbine Art Fair and she exhibited with Matt Slater at Origin Art Gallery in Johannesburg.
