Christopher Martin’s
Off The Record (2025) distills his refined interplay between language, form, and silence into a concise yet charged composition. A black arrow pierces a white scroll that reads:
“
OFF THE RECORD.”
Minimal in execution but rich in implication, the work explores the tension between what is spoken and what is withheld — the delicate boundary between expression and discretion. In Martin’s hands, the phrase becomes a meditation on truth, privacy, and the unspoken spaces that shape communication.
The arrow, a recurring motif across Martin’s sculptural text series, embodies both focus and intrusion. Here, it transforms an everyday phrase into a philosophical object: the act of “pinning down” what was meant to remain unsaid. The sharpness of the gesture contrasts with the neutrality of the statement, creating a visual paradox between exposure and concealment.
The monochrome palette — black ink on white linen — enhances the work’s emotional stillness. The scroll’s gentle curvature and shadowed folds introduce physicality and movement, reminding the viewer that even withheld truths carry weight and form.
Conceptually, Off The Record functions as both declaration and restraint. It invites reflection on the ethics of speech, the fragility of trust, and the allure of secrecy. Within the broader context of Martin’s practice, the work aligns with his continuing exploration of language as meditation — where words, like arrows, reveal by piercing.
Through elegant simplicity, Off The Record captures the subtle drama of what is left unsaid — a moment of poised silence made visible, where meaning lingers precisely in its omission.
