Mark Anthony Martinez's "Reverse Cowboy" at cactusBARN, San Antonio
Mark Anthony Martinez's exhibition "Reverse Cowboy" is available for viewing by appointment until November 6, 2026, at cactusBARN in San Antonio. Initially presented in 2024 at Clamp Light Studios & Gallery under the title "I'M NOT A COWBOY…," this show critiques the myth of the Hollywood cowboy in the U.S., tackling themes such as white supremacy, toxic masculinity, patriarchy, U.S. colonialism, and nostalgia. The centerpiece, "REVERSE COWBOY," showcases six stacked tube televisions featuring a white male cowboy, which visitors can target with a NES zapper. Additional pieces include "Caliber Study 1," "He Got It," "sheriff's badge in a 'dynamic hold'," and "ALAMO SHAPE," with humor and wordplay reflecting reversed power dynamics and the sexual position "reverse cowgirl."
Key facts
- "Reverse Cowboy" is on view by appointment through November 6, 2026, at cactusBARN in San Antonio.
- The exhibition was originally displayed at Clamp Light Studios & Gallery in 2024 as "I'M NOT A COWBOY…".
- The central artwork, "REVERSE COWBOY," features six stacked tube televisions displaying a white male cowboy that viewers can shoot with a NES zapper.
- Six cowboys cycle through the video game, all white men.
- Other works include "Caliber Study 1," "He Got It," "sheriff's badge in a 'dynamic hold'," and "ALAMO SHAPE."
- Martinez's artist statement says the exhibition "questions the mythos of the west."
- The title "Reverse Cowboy" is a double entendre referencing reversed power dynamics and the sexual position "reverse cowgirl."
- Martinez was named after the television son of a 1950s cowboy in "The Rifleman."
Entities
Artists
- Mark Anthony Martinez
- Leigh Anne Lester
- Jayne Lawrence
- Isabel Servantez
Institutions
- cactusBARN
- Clamp Light Studios & Gallery
- Glasstire
- The Rifleman
- Nintendo Entertainment System
Locations
- San Antonio
- United States
- Texas