La Jó Gli

Julio Martinez’s work is imprinted by a profound relationship with stone and wood, and a resulting deep understanding of these materials and their technical and artistic possibilities.

Julio was born in Mexico City in 1974. He started studies in Industrial Design at the Metropolitan University in Mexico City. Soon after he became an apprentice of the architect, painter and sculptor Fernando Artanud, and it did not take long for him to realize that in carving stone he had found his language, a language that gave him the satisfaction and the balance he needed between his creative and physical needs. As he puts it,  “the work is delicate and rough at the same time. You need physical strength as much as intelligence.”

In 1999 he created his workshop “Tlasahuates” in Zacualpan de Amilpas, Morelos, a town approximately 100 miles south from Mexico City.  The workshop was born as a center for learning and production for art and design. For the past 16 years, this effort has been nourished with the knowledge gained from his relationship with sculptors and artisans around Mexico, where he has learned different techniques in a variety of materials, including stone, wood, natural fibers and metals.

Julio’s relationship with the stones starts at the very beginning. He knows where the stones come from, even if they come from afar. The stones he uses the most come from mines near his home, basalt comes from the north and marble from the south. His relationship with the communities nestled in the mountains nearby has become an integral and intimate part of his life, and is a constant source of inspiration. He spends a lot of time trying to integrate the different materials, acknowledging the essence of each one, and with profound respect, changing the perception of its nature through their interaction and combination.