Narsiso Martinez: Making Hidden Labor Visible Through Art
from Full Expression
In this episode of Full Expression, host Dan Imhoff sits down with artist Narsiso Martinez for a conversation about labor, migration, and the creative process. Narsiso traces his journey from a rural town in Oaxaca, Mexico—where he worked in the fields as a child—to immigrating to Los Angeles in search of opportunity and education. What began as a pursuit of stability gradually evolved into a deep artistic practice, shaped by his lived experience and the communities he came from. Working on discarded produce boxes, Narsiso creates portraits of farmworkers that merge subject and material in a powerful way. His work brings visibility to a labor force that is essential yet often unseen, while exploring themes of class, dignity, and belonging. The conversation moves between worlds: from agricultural labor to art school, from the challenges of navigating life as an immigrant to the evolution of a distinct visual language. Narsiso reflects on the role of education, the influence of artists like Van Gogh, and how art became a way to express what could not be said in the fields.
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