UA News

Daniel Martin Diaz will have a solo exhibition, titled "Anatomy of Sorrow," at the Arizona State Museum.

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Arizona State Museum at The University of Arizona is featuring paintings by renowned Tucson artist Daniel Martin Diaz.

Nationally recognized for an archaic style redolent of centuries past, Diaz's work is based upon his deep interest in early devotional art.

His works are noted for rich visual complexity punctuated with mystical arcane iconography.

In "Anatomy of Sorrow," Tucson has the first opportunity to see Diaz's newest body of work. The exhibition runs through Oct. 26 in the museum's Native Goods Gallery.

A larger version of Diaz's exhibition is set to premier in Los Angeles at the end of the year.

In a review of Diaz's work, Martin Kim spoke about several of his works.

Kim, manager of the Native Goods store at the Arizona State Museum, said "ArborMors" appears to be "an upheaval of the traditional tree of life. This is, instead, a tree of death."

Kim, who also curated the exhibition, also said Diaz is quite a compelling artist.

"This is the power of good art - that it draws us towards the artist's vision, and causes us to willingly abandon our own worldviews - for a brief moment, to enter theirs," Kim added.

Kim also said "Diaz's work does not require a literary reading of titles to engage the viewer in a rich dialogue. His work operates on an ecstatic visual level."