Christopher Martin’s Both the Container and the Contained (2025, Mixed Media Sculpture) deepens his exploration of language-as-object, where simple statements are elevated into philosophical meditations through their physical embodiment.

The work presents a white sheet pierced by a black arrow, the impact pinning in place the words: “BOTH THE CONTAINER AND THE CONTAINED.” The phrase resonates with duality and unity, suggesting that existence holds within it both vessel and essence, form and substance, boundary and possibility.

The arrow once again plays its role as a dramatic punctuation mark—decisive, disruptive, and grounding. By fixing the text in space, Martin transforms an abstract reflection into a material encounter. The viewer is asked not only to read the words but to wrestle with their weight: how we hold and are held, how we define and are defined.

Typography remains bold, unornamented, and absolute—stripped of flourish to emphasize clarity and confrontation. This visual austerity allows the conceptual richness of the phrase to stand unclouded.

As with much of Martin’s 2025 series, Both the Container and the Contained embodies a mantra-like quality, functioning as both artwork and meditation tool. It encapsulates Martin’s ability to merge text, form, and symbolism into a sculptural philosophy—an object that insists on being both read and experienced.

11.25in x 13.25in x 17in
Ink on Paper + Wood Arrow