Featured Artist: Lilian Martinez of BFGF
Photography by Lilian Martinez and Daniel McKee.
We’re so excited to introduce our very first Highlow Gift Shop pop-up artist, Lilian Martinez.
Lilian has been a friend of Highlow Jewelry for years, going all the way back to the Tumblr days (remember Tumblr?), so we’re thrilled to feature her art brand BFGF in the shop!
Lilian is a visual artist who paints, draws, sculpts, and designs. As the founder of BFGF she focuses on creating accessible and functional objects for the home and body, transferring her artwork onto throws, pillows, and usable accessories. BFGF, which stands for boyfriend / girlfriend and is inspired by comfort, beauty, and humor, is a way for Lilian to offer others a way to enjoy art in their everyday lives.
Keep reading to learn more about Lilian and visit us at Highlow Gift Shop to shop the BFGF pop-up.
Check out more of her work at: @bfgf / lilianmartinez.com / bfgf-shop.com
Photography by Lilian Martinez and Daniel McKee.
Lilian began her art practice by studying photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
“Not doing much art growing up, I choose photography because that seemed the most accessible medium for me. Photography was the first artistic practice I could wrap my mind around. But I never excelled at it, I was never able to make the images I wanted to create – I really struggled with the restrictions of light and perspective.” (Referenced from an interview with Wrap Magazine)
Her practice eventually developed into drawing and painting, which is when she really started to develop her personal style. As a Latinx artist, Lilian’s paintings prominently feature brown bodies and women occupying space in various forms. It’s important to her to create images where women of color are joyfully represented and have their beauty reflected back to them.
“When I started drawing, I gravitated towards drawing brown bodies…As I started trying to figure out why I was making this work, I realized that it was about representation. I wanted to create a beautiful, peaceful setting for the figures that I created to live in, and in turn, make space for myself—a space that I think can be hard to find without privilege.” (Referenced from an interview with Juxtapoz)
Photography by Lilian Martinez and Daniel McKee.
Lilian’s art is also inspired by classical and architectural elements paired with modern pop culture references, like the Nike swoosh and The Simpsons characters, objects found in nature, and imagery from her youth.
“These things bring me joy…I associate fruits, plants and the color green with nature, which is so pure and beautiful. I love the excitement of a basketball game. Watching someone make a slam dunk just feels so good, and the ball is a beautiful functional object. And I grew up watching The Simpsons. I remember my mom asking me as a kid why I loved that show so much, and I just looked at her without an answer. I didn't know why, I just did. All these things together make sense visually to me. I feel very fortunate that it resonates with other people as well.” (Referenced from an interview with Wrap Magazine)
BFGF began as a way for Lilian to make tactile objects out of her art and create pieces that could be used by others in their daily lives. This extension of her personal practice allows Lilian to focus on making her art accessible for more people to enjoy.
“[BFGF] pieces are meant to be introduced into the buyer’s everyday life and home. I work with a mill in the USA to produce woven cotton blankets and jacquard woven pillows. I also make small runs of things like keychains or crew necks when I am inspired to. BFGF pieces always start from a digital drawing. As opposed to my personal work which is hand painted and one of a kind.” (Referenced from Amadeus Magazine)
Video by Lilian Martinez and Daniel McKee.
At our pop-up you’ll find BFGF’s art t-shirts, embroidered caps, woven blankets, and pillows.
All of the blankets and pillows are woven at a mill in North Carolina (take a look at the weaving process above!) which makes each piece unique with slight variations in color. The blankets can be used as throws and also look amazing displayed on a wall using textile clips.
The playful imagery, references to art history, and beautiful representation of women of color are just a few of the many reasons why we love Lilian’s art and BFGF. We hope you’ll stop by the Gift Shop and fall in love with the pieces, too!
