CHRISTINA CATHERINE MARTINEZ

» It’s fair to say that art criticism is not a wellspring for cutting-edge comedy. But Christina Catherine Martinez is not your typical art critic. Since she braved her first open mic in 2015, the East L.A. native has turned herself into an indemand comic whose “conceptually highbrow and physically slapstick” stand-up style also bleeds into droll reviews, an acclaimed book of confessional social commentary (Aesthetical Relations), and avant-garde performances at institutions like Human Resources (where she shot her forthcoming special How to Bake a Cake in the Digital Age) and MOCA, where she’ll give a 45-minute “walk-through” of the Iranian-born, L.A.-based painter Tala Madani’s retrospective—perhaps as her Valley Girl art-publicist alter ego, Stephanie—on February 19. “When I started taking comedy more seriously, I thought, ‘This is my exit from the art world,’ ” says Martinez. “Ironically, since I’ve been more open about both, they are actually coming together in more interesting ways.” christinacatherine.info