Austin Martin White
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Biography
Born 1984 in Detroit, MI, USA
Lives and works in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Austin Martin White’s artistic practice explores images that shape historical memory, drawing on archival research to examine questions of identity, race, and postcolonialism. By recontextualizing historical images and fragments, his work interrogates the ways in which history is constructed, mediated, and remembered, revealing the tensions between competing perspectives.
He has participated in group exhibitions at the Southampton Arts Center, New York; Oakland University Art Gallery, Rochester; and The Jewish Museum, New York. White held his first solo exhibition at Capitain Petzel, Berlin, in 2022, followed by solo exhibitions at Petzel, New York, in 2023 and 2025, and his second solo exhibition at Capitain Petzel, Berlin, in 2026. In 2025, the first comprehensive monograph dedicated to his work was published (available at the gallery).
White’s work is part of the permanent collection of the Hessel Museum of Art, Annandale-on-Hudson. His work has been featured in numerous international publications, including The New York Times, Artforum, Texte zur Kunst, Flash Art, 032c, and The Observer, among others.
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Austin Martin White
ferris wheel, 2024Ink, watercolor and tempera on Arches 140
Paper dimensions:
220.5 x 223.5 cm / 86.8 x 88 inches
Framed dimensions:
232.4 x 231.1 cm / 91.5 x 91 inches -
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Works
Austin Martin White
after de Mena (casta), 2023Acrylic medium, pigment, spray paint, vinyl, 3m reflective fabric and nylon meshSigned and dated verso208.3 x 182.9 cm
82 x 72 inchesB-AMWHITE-.23-0001With 'after de Mena (casta)' Austin Martin White references Luis de Mena’s Virgin of Guadalupe (1759) and the genre of casta paintings. By adopting the composition of the colonial image,...With "after de Mena (casta)" Austin Martin White references Luis de Mena’s Virgin of Guadalupe (1759) and the genre of casta paintings. By adopting the composition of the colonial image, the artist redefines its meaning by use of color, material and his innovative technique. The lush composition is imbued with a critical gaze towards the hierarchical system put in place. In this case it is used by White as an illustration for structural racism and inequality that is omnipresent in a large number of historic works of art.
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Con "after de Mena (casta)" Austin Martin White hace referencia a la "Virgen de Guadalupe" (1759) de Luis de Mena y al género de las pinturas de casta. Al adoptar la composición de la imagen colonial, el artista redefine su significado mediante el uso del color, el material y su innovadora técnica. La exuberante composición está impregnada de una mirada crítica hacia el sistema jerárquico establecido. En este caso, White la utiliza como ilustración del racismo estructural y la desigualdad omnipresentes en un gran número de obras de arte históricas.Exhibitions-
Austin Martin White
The lie, the larp andthe lusophile 10 September — 17 October 2026Explore -
Sweet Sixteen
Celebrating 16 years of Capitain Petzel 7 June — 3 August 2024On the occasion of Capitain Petzel’s sixteenth anniversary, the gallery is excited to present Sweet Sixteen , a group exhibition celebrating the artists who have been integral to its program...Explore -
Austin Martin White
Last Dance 16 September — 22 October 2022It’s all too much, really. There are credit cards to pay down, rent to cough up—never mind the wildfires and the mass shootings. A sense of pressure is building, impossible...Explore
External ExhibitionsOverflow, Afterglow: New York in Chromatic Figuration, 2024
The Jewish Museum, New York
Press-
Do Not Research: "Pieter Schoolwerth & Austin Martin White in Conversation"
Pieter Schoolwerth, Austin Martin White, 22 October 2025 -
Impulse: "Face to Face: September 2025" (Austin Martin White)
Zorica Colic, 30 September 2025 -
TEXTE ZUR KUNST: "Mnemosyne in Neon" (Austin Martin White)
Julia Modes, 30 December 2022 -
Artforum: "Austin Martin White"
Martin Herbert, 1 December 2022 -
Flash Art: "Austin Martin White 'Last Dance' Capitain Petzel / Berlin"
Philipp Hindahl, 20 October 2022 -
032c: "SMASHED COLLARBONES: Berlin Art Week 2022" (Austin Martin White)
Claire Koron Elat, 27 September 2022 -
Welt am Sonntag: "Das Beste ihrer Art: Austin Martin White Bei Capitain Petzel"
17 September 2022
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