Patrick Martinez recently put a spin on his tight Army Set installation concept. In case you missed his first set of bagged army figurines, Martinez placed faux toy soldiers in random department stores all over the Los Angeles area, with labels that read, “Includes: Poor and Middle Class People 18 Years +” The complete set of 50 signed and numbered action sets were left for unassuming people to find, and hopefully ponder. Because the first set of politically charged plastic goodness was so successful, Martinez is releasing a remix on the Army Set idea; this set “Includes one special limited edition rich gold soldier!” Martinez says, “They will be hitting the stores this weekend and ‘til the end of the month. The remix has a gold soldier and all races, so it’s more of a general package, approaching it from the class system perspective.” When asked about the reaction to his first installment, Martinez simply replies, “Everyone had positive feedback. I got a couple pieces of hate mail but that’s fine... nothing new, it means I’m doing my job. Not the first time its happened.” Guess that’s what it’s all about: shaking things up, and making folks think. See more of Patrick Martinez’s work at patrickmartinez.com.

A Jux favorite, Patrick Martinez, has come up with one of the coolest political art statements we’ve seen in a while. As part of the LA vs WAR exhibit opening next week, Martinez will have this print/product on display, making a bold testimony about his views on American government spending and military ethics. “The piece is inspired by inner city youth, youth of color, and poor people that don't have many options. [They] turn to the US military for a way out, money for an education, or various other reasons,” Martinez tells Juxtapoz. The packaged toy soldier installation pieces, labeled with comments like, “Bonus! Includes one special limited edition rich white soldier” and “Army Set Includes: brown, black and poor people 18 years+” are also coming to a store near you, if you’re in the Los Angeles area that is. Martinez explains: “On top of that, I will be installing them in various department stores- specifically the toy sections across Los Angeles. So when mothers and fathers are shopping for a new toy with their child they get a little something else, sort of a reality check, or reminder. So if you find one or two, you can keep them because the department store I install them in won't have a clue where you got it from; it wont be in their systems. There are only 50 packs and they are all signed and numbered on the back.” Before you rush to your nearest Target to scour the shelves for Martinez toys, check out more pictures of his street-wise art project here…

Juxtapoz just got some fancy new threads in our store! Featuring t-shirts exclusively designed for Juxtapoz by Van Dyke, Cycle, Mike Maxwell, Guillame Wolf, Travis Millard, Patrick Martinez, and Mearone, these shirts are available for both guys and gals. Be the first to show off your Juxtapoz pride and sport an awesome and exclusive new design by your favorite artist- so stop by our store now!

ISM, always active in supporting the arts, teamed up with the Action Sports Environmental Coalition and Glue Network for a big group mural project/auction. The theme for the murals was "Green 4 Green", representing the arts and the environment in gigantic format. The murals themselves are multi-paneled and come out to 16' x 8' total so if you want one you had better be prepared to clear some space. The slew of artists that were drafted for the project is a mighty list featuring Bigfoot, Brandon Francis, Brent Harada, Brent Sandor, Dave Ross, Ekundayo, Eric Trine, Jay Steiner, Jesse Kerr, KMNDZ, Joshua Clay, Kelli Murray, Marco Zamora, Mark Murphy, Matt Stallings, Mear One, Mike Maxwell, Patrick Martinez, Plasticgod, Scott Henning, Seizer-One, Tommii Lim, and Zoso. That's a lot of heavy talent throwing down with a surprisingly low starting price tag. Bidding starts for each mural at $5,500 and they are worth way more for sure. Each piece represents a decade like 1970+, 1980+, 1990+, and 2000+. Place your bids now so you can own a work of art big enough to build a small house out of.