Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1405910
matrilineal sort of craft and folk art is pushed aside by countless artists when they're going to school. Always in the back of my head, I wanted to fight that." The artist also rails against the fashion industry, which can use up to 700 gallons of water to make a prosaic man's T-shirt. Martinez directs us to the statement on his website: "The paintings record the traces of global capital, evoking those who dyed and printed the fabric, those who assembled the garments, the people who wore and lost them, as well as the artist who places them back into circulation as luxury objects. They are an invitation for the viewer to consider not only their formal composition and the laborious nature of their production but also the disjunctive economies that enable such value shifts." For the London College of Fashion- educated Mavromatis, a move to Houston was pivotal for segueing towards fine art. Study at the MFAH Glassell School of Art led her to printmaking — she made her first print in 2006 as a Glassell student. Three years later, she entered the sculptural realm, handcrafting an artist book to commemorate her mother's passing. Her inaugural show at Barbara Davis Gallery features ethereal paper dresses imprinted with images and text, a palimpsest of the past that speaks to us today. Mavromatis says, "The importance of dress was hammered into me over and over since very early childhood. I was told that the way we dress carries a very important message. It speaks to all who see us and tells them who we are, where we come from, what our values are. Growing up, I came to believe that in my dress there were traces of all the history of the family, of all the sagas, the miseries, the triumphs. It was natural to start using the dress form as an open book, telling my views on women's stories." "Gabriel Martinez: Desire Lines," September 11 – October 16, at Anya Tish Gallery. "Anna Mavromatis: Stay Still. Smile!," September 11 – October 23, at Barbara Davis Gallery. Both artist receptions, Saturday, September 11, 1 to 5 pm. anyatishgallery.com, barbaradavisgallery.com. Left: Gabriel Martinez's Untitled, 2019, at Anya Tish Gallery. Above: Anna Mavromatis' Stay Still, 2021, at Barbara Davis Gallery. Left: Anna Mavromatis' Yes, No, Yes, No ..., 2021, at Barbara Davis Gallery. Above: Gabriel Martinez's Untitled, 2019, at Anya Tish Gallery. Gabriel Martinez Anna Mavromatis ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS, THEIR GALLERIES, AND THE ARMORY SHOW. 104