Liljana Mead Martin (b. 1986 Halifax; lives/works Vancouver) is an artist and environmental researcher working with material and media to create artworks and public projects which explore the elemental language of environmental change. She gathers materials and data from examples of land degradation to highlight speculative hybrid adaptations between human existence and the natural world. 

In solo exhibitions Geophilia (WAAP ‘21) and Deep Thirst BioOrchestra (The Drake ‘22), her works respond to instances of land development, heat waves, forest fire and floods in the Pacific Northwest. In the exhibition Negative [Space] Interface, her work explores housing development in Wildlife Urban Interface zones - areas that are increasingly susceptible to forest fires - due to overdevelopment, climate change and the absence of forest stewardship based on colonial-centred provincial and national laws. Thermal mapping and it’s associated high chroma colour palette, has been a recent reference point for artworks which engage the body. Casts of ears, hands, arms and legs explore a sensorial perspective on attentiveness, perception and survival. 

Martin received her MFA from Emily Carr University (‘16) and completed a BFA at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (‘10).  Her work has been exhibited at The Klondike Institute for Arts and Culture (Dawson City Yukon Territory), Artscape Gibraltar Point (Toronto Island ON), CSA Space (Vancouver), Nanaimo Art Gallery (Vancouver Island), Wil Aballe Art Projects (Vancouver), Zalucky Contemporary (Toronto), NADA House Governor’s Island (NYC). Martin is the Editor and founder of BIOMASS (worldwide) an online contemporary art periodical. 

Photo by Steven Cottingham.