Erica Kelly Martin is a photographer and visual artist based in Los Angeles. Her work examines the artifacts and absurdities of American life through meticulously staged still lifes, human inflected landscapes, and portraits that straddle the sacred and the profane. A former environmental activist turned fine artist, she brings a documentary eye to surreal domestic rituals—fusing humor, dread, and beauty in equal measure. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at MIA Fair in Milan and Photo London, as well as galleries in Paris, and across the United States. Her various series explore misplaced faith: in objects, in institutions, in the stories we tell ourselves, in the idea that meaning can be arranged on a shelf. Whether unpacking the emotional residue of consumer culture (I’m Fine, Everything’s Fine), exploring the American psyche on road trips through the West (West of Truth), or reimagining women from myth and scripture through a feminist lens (A Bee in the Rose), Martin’s work probes the shaky scaffolding of belief systems—personal, political, and patriarchal. Also, she is a partner , a metalsmith, and the mother of two, with two children, two dogs, two cats, and a lot of boxes.
