Martin Reyna is an artist who explores abstract landscapes and moving forms. Exhibited this year at the Argentinian Gallery of the Argentine Embassy in Paris with De este lado del Atlántico, his art resonates deeply between his Argentine roots and his life in Europe, forming a connection between the two sides of the Atlantic.
Martin Reyna: The Art of Fluidity
Born in Buenos Aires in 1964 and now based in Paris, Martin Reyna has developed a unique artistic language that explores the tension between control and randomness, technical mastery and the spontaneity of gesture.
Martin Reyna is, above all, a painter of fluidity. His approach, often centered on the use of ink and acrylic, is based on a technique he has perfected over the years: the control of dilutions. By allowing the material to spread freely on paper or canvas, he creates organic compositions that evoke aquatic landscapes or suspended atmospheres. It is through this subtle interaction between the artist and the material that his works take shape, expressing a delicate balance between deconstruction and recomposition.
When observing his works, one is struck by his ability to make invisible processes of transformation visible. His exhibition Fluides (2023) at the Galerie Bessières in Paris is a perfect example. The series, almost evanescent, captures the fluidity of water and its variations of light, a recurring theme in his work. Martin Reyna explores this same fluidity in Atlántico (2023) at the Museo del Agua in Buenos Aires, where water and the movement across the Atlantic become the main subjects. This series serves as a meditation on the link between his Argentine roots and his life in Europe, a bridge between two worlds.
In his works, perspective plays a central role. Unlike traditional methods of linear perspective, Martin Reyna uses it to disorient the viewer’s gaze. His compositions give the impression that forms float, in perpetual mutation. His exhibition Perspectiva Asturiana (2013) at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine in Paris is telling—through this series, Martin Reyna fragments and reinterprets perspective, reflecting a world in constant transformation.
Color is another fundamental element in Martin Reyna’s work. He uses it not only for its aesthetic qualities but as an emotional vehicle. In exhibitions such as L’intimité de la couleur (2019) at Younique Gallery, he demonstrated how color can become a language of its own, telling stories without words. His use of vibrant and contrasting palettes creates visual tensions, plays of light and shadow that bring life to his abstract compositions. Martin Reyna’s aquatic and ethereal tones, often contrasted with darker and earthier touches, evoke both the softness and the brutality of natural elements.
A fascinating characteristic of Martin Reyna’s work is the tension between control and letting go. He alternates between intentional gestures and the random fluidity of materials. He manipulates water, paint, or ink in a way that allows the medium to react freely while subtly guiding the final result. This mastery of chaos gives his works an almost meditative quality. In his series Shadows in the Water (2016), exhibited at Artemisa Gallery in New York, Reyna explores reflections and shadows—those elusive elements that transform the perception of space.
On the international scene, Martin Reyna has made a name for himself with exhibitions across Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Exhibitions such as La couleur de l’eau (2009) in Paris and En el horizonte del color (2012) in Buenos Aires illustrate his ability to create bridges between his Argentine influences and his European experience. His solo exhibitions at prestigious venues like the Maison de l’Amérique Latine in Paris or the Hogar Collection Gallery in New York testify to the global recognition he enjoys. His distinct style, based on abstraction and gesturality, has earned him prestigious awards, such as the Jean-François Millet Prize for painting in France and the Chandon Prize at ARTEBA in Argentina.
Martin Reyna’s art is ultimately a journey through abstract landscapes where water, color, and movement come together to create works that are both deeply personal and universal. His poetic explorations of fluidity and transformation resonate particularly in an era where uncertainty and change are central themes.