About

Antonio Jacob Martinez (b.1979) is a fine art photographer and video artist who currently teaches as an Assistant Professor of Intermedia Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Although born in San Jose, CA in 1979, and briefly raised in Las Vegas for 4 years, Antonio considers his upbringing in Oklahoma as a major influence. Antonio pursued an undergraduate liberal arts education at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. 
Upon earning a BFA in painting and becoming more interested in photography of his senior year in college, Antonio continued his arts practice studies in graduate school at East Carolina University, in which he earned an MFA in photography. 

Antonio has always been intrigued with the absurdity of life and curious about how to combine two unrelated objects to create new meanings, as well as experiment with every conceivable method & process to make an image. Antonio defines himself as a traditional and digital image-maker whose interests include photographing spectator events, which range from cage-fighting events to the circus. 

Of course, any subject matter is of interest to Antonio, for as long as he can recognize the spectacle and miracle in front of his lens.

Antonio has been featured in PDN magazine, Blue Sky Gallery, SFMOMA and several international film and video festivals for his contribution in the experimental moving image, notably, his project called Near the Egress