Moyosore Martins | Watchman

MÓYÒSÓRÉ MARTINS The Watchman and the Creation of Archetypes

Móyòsóré Martins, 2025 Bronx, New York Photo by Daniella Liguori © 2025

The Watchman

by Móyòsóré Martins The Watchman is more than a recurring figure in Móyòsóré Martins’ work—it is a personal archetype, a spiritual sentinel, and a bridge between worlds. Rooted in Yoruba traditions of carved guardian figures and ancestral spirits, The Watchman has followed Martins through his artistic journey, from Nigeria to New York, carrying with it the weight of cultural memory and spiritual presence.

As Martins settled into the urban landscape of New York, his visual language evolved. Surrounded by street art, design, and the stylized aesthetics of contemporary artists like KAWS, Murakami, and the many Hypebeast and Indie Art Toy collectables, he began to see parallels between the sacred icons of his heritage and the exaggerated pop figures that dominate global visual culture. The result is a compelling juxtaposition: a new kind of iconography that merges the reverent with the irreverent, the traditional with the contemporary.

The repeated figures don’t just amplify the message—they bridge the gap between the personal and the collective, turning individual emotion into a shared, resonant truth.

In Martins’ newest series, this fusion reaches a new clarity.

His deepening synthesis of traditional cultural iconography with a passion for urban contemporary designer toys and pop figures further defines The Watchman as a singular, evolving presence. Rendered in his unmistakable graphic language, layered oil impasto, and raw mixed media surfaces, The Watchman becomes not just an icon, but a reflection of the artist’s own transformation—gritty, mythic, and unmistakably his own.

In these works, The Watchman becomes a vessel through which past and present collide. Densely textured with oil impasto and mixed media, the work pulses with physicality and spirit. They reference tribal altars as much as they echo the bold, collectible aesthetics of designer toys and pop figurines. Each piece is both a relic and a remix—part homage, part invention.

What gives Martins’ work its compelling power is the way it reflects not only the complexity and violence of the world we live in, but also his own personal journey through struggle and survival to reach his dreams and aspirations. In his series, AH!, the expression “AH” becomes both a personal and collective outcry: “Ah! How can this be happening?!” The open-mouthed faces, caught in a moment of disbelief, mirror his own emotional responses while tapping into universal human experiences.

Photo by Daniella Liguori © 2024

Traditional West African artifacts from Martins’ personal collection—ritual figures, masks, and talismans—anchor his work in Yoruba heritage, including The Watchman, a key figure throughout his practice.

Contemporary Urban Pop Figurines from Martin’s personal collection, including artists KAWS, Ron English, Takashi Murakami, Hebru Brantly, and more.

AH! V, 2024 Oil, oil stick, pigments, and graphite on canvas 101 x 84 in. (234.5 x 200.5 cm)

Watchman, 2018 Oil on canvas 60 x 48 in. (150 x 120 cm)

Raw Thoughts Studies, 2022 Oil, oil stick, pigments, and charcoal on canvas, mounted on board 16 x 14 in. (47.5 x 35 cm) each 16 x 42 in. (47.5 x 105 cm)

Watchman, 2023 Oil and oil stick on canvas, pigment, and graphite on canvas 72 x 60 in. (180 x 150 cm)

Follow The Light You Seek, 2023 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 105 x 72 in. (265 x 180 cm)

Untitled 2024 Oil, oil stick, pigments, charcoal and canvas 77 X 65 in. (195 X 165 cm) Each 308 X 260 in. (780 X 660 cm) Total

Móyòsóré Martins delves into his personal and artistic evolution with his monumental triptych titled AH!. The title ends with a hard “h,” evoking a sense of shock, as in, “I can’t believe this is happening!”

This work captures the internal struggle and conflict he faces, with each character in the painting representing a facet of himself. The symbolic act of self-destruction depicted reflects his shedding of an old identity, symbolizing a transformative journey of self-reinvention. For Moyo, this piece serves as his own version of Guernica—except the war he portrays is the battle within himself.

AH! I, Triptych 2023-2024 Oil, oil sticks, pigments, and graphite on canvas 94 x 78 in. (239 x 199 cm) each 94 x 235 in. (239 x 597 cm) total

AH! Study 2024 Mixed media, collage mounted on canvas 72 x 60 in. (180 x 150 cm)

AH! Study 2023 Mixed media, collage on canvas 72 x 60 in. (180 x 150 cm)

AH! VI

2024 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite and canvas 72 X 60 in. (180 X 150 cm)

Redemption (Diptych) 2023-24 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 72 x 60 in. (180 x 160 cm ) each; 72 x 120 in. (180 x 300 cm) total

AH!, IV

2024 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 72 x 60 in. (180 x 150 cm)

AH!, II AH!, II

AH II 2024 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 72 x 60 in. (180 x 150 cm)

AH! (Diptych)

2024 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 60 x 48 in. (150 x 120 cm) each 60 x 96 in. (150 x 240 cm)

Electric 2025 Oil, acrylic, aerosole, and graphite on canvas 72 x 60 in. (182.88 x 152.4 cm)

Untitled, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 32 x 60 in. (81.3 x 152.4 cm) Untitled, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 56 x 60 in. (142.2 x 152.4 cm)

Untitled, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 62 x 60 in. (157.5 x 152.4 cm) Untitled, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, graphite on canvas 33 x 60 in. (83.8 x 152.4 cm)

1. Boom I, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, charcoal and canvas 107 x 61 in. (268 x 153 cm)

2. Boom II, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, aerosole, charcoal on canvas 93 x 72 in. (233 x 180 cm) UNSTRETCHED

3. Boom V, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, aerosole, and graphite on canvas 60 x 72 in. (152.4 x 182.9 cm)

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Boom III, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, Sharpie, aerosole, and graphite on canvas 24 x 48 in. (61 x 122 cm) total 8 x 8 in. (20 x 20 cm) each

Boom IV, 2025 Oil, oil stick, pigments, charcoal, spray paint and canvas 16 x 48 in. (40.5 x 122 cm) total 8 x 8 in. (20 x 20 cm) each

Boom VI 2025 Pigments, aerosole on cardboard ?8 in. (40.5 x 122 cm) total

Curator’s Note: Móyòsóré Martins: The Watchman and the Making of Archetypes In Moyosore Martins’ work, the figure is never just a figure.

It is an echo, a symbol, a vessel. His signature character, The Watchman, has followed him across borders and bodies of work—rooted in Yoruba culture and traditional African sculpture, yet constantly evolving as it absorbs the pulse of the present.

Archetypes are universally recognizable characters, symbols, or patterns that show up across cultures, myths, stories, and art.

The term comes from the Greek words archein (to begin) and typos (type or pattern), and it often refers to a kind of original model that others are based on.

There are two main ways the word is used: 1. Psychological / Mythological (Carl Jung’s definition):

Martins’ Watchman stands not only as a guardian, but as an archetype: a deeply resonant form that speaks to collective memory and inherited spirit. It connects to the carved ancestral figures found in shrines and rituals across West Africa, yet also finds unexpected kinship in the hyper-stylized pop figures of artists like KAWS. These influences, seemingly worlds apart, converge in Martins’ visual universe, where sacred tradition meets urban mythology.

Archetypes are primordial images or unconscious symbols shared by all humans. They come from the “collective unconscious” and shape how we experience the world.

Examples include: The Hero; The Mother; The Trickster; The Sage; The Shadow.

Since relocating to New York, Martins has absorbed the aesthetics of contemporary urban culture and art—designer toys, graffiti, the gloss and grit of global pop iconography. Rather than reject or imitate, he fuses these with his own cultural language, producing richly textured works layered in oil impasto and mixed media. The result is a body of work that is both reverent and rebellious—icons not inherited, but invented.

2. Cultural / Artistic use:

In The Watchman, we witness Martins creating his own mythology—an evolving character that functions as a modern-day relic, expressing Martins’ own story and inner struggle, transformation, and has rendered in a visual language that is unmistakably his own. Through these archetypes, Martins offers us a new kind of spiritual architecture—one built from memory, migration, and the alchemy of cultural collision.

These figures aren’t always literal characters—they can be expressed in dreams, myths, religions, art, or cultural rituals.

In a broader sense, archetypes are iconic types or motifs that reappear in different times and places. For example: • A mask used in tribal ceremony may represent the Protector archetype • A modern superhero is often a version of the Hero archetype • A recurring artistic figure, like Moyo’s Watchman, can become a personal or cultural archetype Why it’s a powerful exhibition title: Using Archetypes as a title reflects the artist’s deep, timeless themes—figures and forms that carry meaning across generations, even as they’re reimagined in new ways.

MÓYÒSÓRÉ MARTINS (B. 1986)

Móyòsóré Martins, a self-taught mixed-media artist, uses his art to express his innately curious and spiritual nature. Raised in Lagos, Nigeria by a Brazilian father and a Nigerian mother from Ekiti state, Martins began using a paintbrush and pencil at a young age. He combines his traditional Yoruba cultural roots with a contemporary vision to create artwork that blends figurative, abstract, and narrative elements drawn from his unique life experience, including his journey from Nigeria to his Bronx studio.

Martins’s deeply symbolic artwork frequently features cultural and personal iconography, reflecting his life experience. His paintings are richly textured and use bold brushstrokes, thick oil paint, drawings, scribbles, collaged materials, and text. The vibrant, heavily layered canvases often include spiritual elements and wishes manifested and fulfilled. In addition to painting, Martins also creates three-dimensional art through using found objects and mixed media. As Martins describes: My artwork is intentionally raw. I like to use a lot of different materials and have rough-cut edges on the canvas. The paintings are textured with scratches, scribbles, and mud-like paint, as well as clay, liquid plastic, oil sticks, chunky layers of oil paint.

I layer the background and then deconstruct them, which gives the feeling of wear and tear on the canvas. No painting is alike as each has symbolic patterns and encrypted messages hidden within it. I want to merge the vision with the given and the new world that I live in now. The word “Why?” is seen in a lot of the work because it leaves you asking the same question.

Forbidden by his father to create or study art, Martins spent his college years in Ghana and the Ivory Coast studying computer science. He immigrated to New York City in 2015 to pursue his artistic ambitions. Martins’ artwork has been exhibited at the Nassau County Museum (Roslyn, NY), TrafficArts (New York, NY), Long-Sharp Gallery (Indiannapolis, IN), Robert Fontaine Gallery (Miami), Path Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), Galerie Tanit (Beirut), and Crossing Art (New York, NY).

Moyosore Martins Lexicon of Iconography The Watchman Character: In African culture, the watchman is oft depicted as a sculpture of a seated figure who observes, protects, and learns—an archetype deeply rooted in tradition and symbolism.

For Moyo, this character is more than just a cultural motif; it is a recurring theme and a central figure that weaves through the narrative of his work. The watchman evolves alongside Moyo’s artistic journey, serving as both a literal and metaphorical representation of his personal growth and perspective.

The Pigeon: A symbol of freedom and independent thought.

When Moyo first arrived in New York, he worked as a night watchman in the Bronx—a role that directly ties his life experience to the watchman character. Over time, as his work has evolved, the watchman has been reinterpreted and transformed, reflecting Moyo’s changing understanding of himself, his art, and his role as an observer, protector, and chronicler of life’s truths. This enduring theme underscores his connection to his African heritage while highlighting his ability to adapt and reinterpret traditional symbols in a contemporary context.

“Why?”: Encourages viewers to question and engage deeply with his work.

The Cow: Represents the creation of life, which is cyclical. The cow consumes, digests and fertilize the new creation.

The Farm: A symbol of creation and sustenance.

The Stick Figure Inside an Animal: Reflects Moyo’s subconscious mind.

The House: Represents the comfort zone.

Flames Emerging from the House: A warning to get out of your comfort zone.

Roman Numerals: Symbolic of time.

OK Hand Sign: Represents limited time.

The Mouth: Represents the voices of people discussing him and his work.

The Eye: Symbolizes the all-seeing eye, imbued with spiritual significance.

The Yellow Googly Eyes: Represent people seeing his work and his increasing visibility. Over time, the eyes grow larger, signifying his growing recognition.

1986: His birth year, which he incorporates into his art to infuse his identity and presence.

The Ladder: Because you can’t avoid the process.

The Cat: Represents resilience, echoing the idea of having nine lives to survive.

The Hungry Cat: Embodies a hunger for life and success. The sharper the teeth, the hungrier the cat.

Blue Stripes on Clothing: Symbolize the higher caste of African seers, such as the Yoruba family Moyo comes from. The stripes also reflect life’s duality, representing two-way roads or paths.

“I believe there’s so much more to life than what meets the eye or what we hear. Symbols help us interpret what we see, and everyone has their own unique perspective. When you look at my pieces, you might see something completely different from what I see, and that’s okay. Even if you’ve never been to Africa or experienced my life, you’ll still feel a connection. I just want people to see the truth, to sense and experience it through my journey. It’s really as simple as that.”—MM

Martins’ Bronx Studio, 2025

TRAFFICARTS Michelle Edelman

TRAFFICARTS Phone: + 1 212 734 0041 In collaboration with Jason Colchin-Carter US M. + 1 917 806 6978 Swiss M. +41 79 158 3838 Michelle Edelman Phone: + 1 212 734 0041 Email: michelleve@traffic-nyc.com US M. + 1 917 806 6978 Swiss M. +41 79 158 3838 www.traffic-nyc.com/artists/móyòsóré-martins Email: michelleve@traffic-nyc.com www.traffic-nyc.com/artists/móyòsóré-martins