In the H2O/SiO2 series, glass becomes a paradox—rigid, heavy, and permanent, yet shaped to mimic the lightness and fluidity of water in plastic. These hyperreal sculptures capture the illusion of suspended motion: rising bubbles, delicate folds, and surface tension frozen in time.

Rather than simply deceiving the eye, Martinez’s work probes deeper into how perception shapes belief. Echoing the visual precision of photorealism and the conceptual provocation of Magritte, these sculptures challenge the viewer’s instinct to trust what they see. “You believe what you see as truth,” Martinez notes—a reminder that vision, though immediate, is not always reliable.

Positioned within the lineage of Duane Hanson, Marilyn Levine, and Rachel Whiteread, Martinez reclaims the aesthetics of the ordinary, pushing illusion beyond surface to suggest the complexity of what appears simple.