ABSTRACT
Martin, S.I. (1996) Incomparable World, London: Quartet Books.
While studying at the Royal College of Art (1996-8), Martin won the Eduardo Paolozzi Travel Scholarship. In Nigeria he undertook a series of interviews with artists and educators at the Universities of Benin, Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo in Ife. Printmaker and painter Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya also discussed with Martin the question of Nigerian national identity in the arts. Martin's work ranges from expressive sculptural pieces, such as Tenderly (1999), a female nude in terracotta cast in bronze, to more designoriented work. Martin's ceramic seating explores the uses and forms of clay as a material suitable for furniture. Citing the technical and formal beauty of modern sanitary ware, Martin's work brings together the legacy of Duchamp's urinal Fountain (1912) as art and quotidian ceramic design object. His work has been shown in numerous exhibitions, including the Sotheby Contemporary Decorative Arts Show, London; The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh; Mission 45, London; and the South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell, Berkshire, where Martin has been artist-in-residence since 1999.
