WHO: Enrique Martinez, 27

BEST KNOWN FOR: Paintings and drawings in the style of “pop-surrealism,” as he calls it, criticizing contemporary society and politics and “the bizarre behavior of human beings” through satire. He often targets desire, especially humans' desire for money and material goods and the destruction it causes. His intricate paintings of a hellish world overtaken by greed reflect the visions of Hieronymus Bosch, a major influence on Martinez's work. “For me, (Bosch's work) has a lot of sense of humor, a dark sense of humor, which is really instrumental in forming my own aesthetic,” he said. In Martinez's work “Everybody's Happy Nowadays,” a huge monster dominates the scene, representing, he says, “big corporations, big companies, any big institution, government, education, being this really overwhelming force, invasive,” drawing the life force from the earth itself. The lone road in the scene goes in a circle, representing “the cycle of modern living ..... caught in a cycle of consumerism,” he said; the only detour is through a McDonald's drive-through. Pop-culture icons and cartoon-inspired images show up throughout his work: “I'm a big fan of ‘Ren and Stimpy.' I think that's the trendy thing to say, ‘Oh, I'm influenced by cartoons,' but stuff like that I take seriously as an artistic achievement,” he said.

FACTOIDS: Martinez, an El Paso native, earned his bachelor of fine arts degree from Texas State University and his master of fine arts degree at UTSA in 2006.

CHECK HIM OUT: His solo show, “Thus Spoke the Enigma of Desire,” is up at One9Zero6 Gallery, 1906 S. Flores St., through July 6. Call (210) 227-5718. His work also is included in a group show for Contemporary Art Month, “CAM @ the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center: Six Painters,” at the center's Galeria, 723 S. Brazos St., through Aug. 17. Call (210) 271-3151.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor