Martha Daghlian is fascinated by people and their lives and the fact that we all die. Her work draws upon the history of symbols, art forms, and frameworks of thought—from high academia to folk traditions—that people have developed to deal with the implications of living and dying in an unprovable reality. Martha’s handmade costumes, videos, and sculptural objects animate an emergent, imaginative world populated by characters including the fool, the scholar, and the mourning lady, who navigate a questionable reality in their own peculiar ways.  

Martha Daghlian grew up in Vermont and moved to Portland in 2008. Their work has been shown at a number of galleries and artist run spaces including Melanie Flood Projects, Lowell, Ditch Projects, and online at ORAL.pub. This will be the second time Martha has shown work in the Lloyd Center Mall.

While in residence at ILY2Too, Martha will present a retail version of Grapefruits, the experimental exhibition program she has run off and on since 2017, alongside the “soft launch” of a new project, Grapefruits Editions, which will offer intimate and affordable objets d'art fabricated independently and in collaboration with other artists. Participating artists include Leif Anderson, Julia Barbee, Ním Daghlian, Cameron Hawkey, Midori Hirose, Jaydra Johnson, Z. Lachrym, Stephanie Simek, and possibly more! In addition to weekly open hours, Grapefruits will host regular events and gatherings throughout the residency. Martha will also maintain her own working studio in the space, which will be open for tours by appointment.