When the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911, the robbery led to an unexpected influx of visitors who flocked there to see the empty space. Its absence unleashed human curiosity. I’m Still Here is the result of research projects developed with organisations such as prisons, legal medicine institutes and human rights organisations based in conflict zones. The geometric shapes are inspired by triangular suicide notes written on post-its and researched at the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Martins appropriated his background images from high drama films from bygone eras, and vintage news photographs depicting events of major historical significance.
