Across very different styles and materials, Connor Gottfried, Arlo Sinclair, and Dylan Martinez all tap into familiar visual language as a way of creating an immediate, human connection. Gottfried’s work draws on cartoon imagery and pop culture references that feel instantly recognizable, inviting viewers in with humor and energy before revealing a more contemporary edge. Sinclair’s paintings take a softer approach, using vintage tones and quiet, cinematic moments that feel like fragments of memory, offering a sense of calm and emotional familiarity. Martinez transforms the iconic Pac-Man ghosts into hand-blown glass sculptures, turning a simple video game symbol into something tangible, playful, and unexpectedly refined. Together, these artists show why nostalgia is resonating so strongly today: it offers comfort, recognition, and joy, while still leaving room for fresh interpretation and lasting artistic value.

  • Arlo Sinclair engages nostalgia as a form of emotional architecture, mining the visual codes of the past to evoke memory,...
    Arlo Sinclair engages nostalgia as a form of emotional architecture, mining the visual codes of the past to evoke memory, mood, and a sense of personal history. His work often feels cinematic, referencing vintage color palettes, familiar objects, and softened compositions that recall childhood interiors or half-remembered scenes. Rather than leaning on overt pop imagery, Sinclair’s retro revival is quieter and more atmospheric, allowing nostalgia to operate as a psychological space rather than a direct quotation. This approach aligns with a growing appetite in the market for works that slow the viewer down and offer emotional resonance alongside visual appeal. Sinclair’s paintings resonate with collectors seeking intimacy and reflection, positioning nostalgia not as novelty, but as a deeply human response to an increasingly accelerated contemporary world.
    • Arlo Sinclair Donkey Kong: Nature’s Revenge - 3.5” Black, 2026
      Arlo Sinclair
      Donkey Kong: Nature’s Revenge - 3.5” Black, 2026
    • Arlo Sinclair To The Future: Mother Fluxer - 3.5” Black, 2026
      Arlo Sinclair
      To The Future: Mother Fluxer - 3.5” Black, 2026
    • Arlo Sinclair Ghostbusters: Public Need Into Profit - 3.5” Black, 2026
      Arlo Sinclair
      Ghostbusters: Public Need Into Profit - 3.5” Black, 2026
    • Arlo Sinclair 2001: Space Odyssey — 28” L, 2026
      Arlo Sinclair
      2001: Space Odyssey — 28” L, 2026
    • Arlo Sinclair Top Gun: Bro Code — 28” L, 2026
      Arlo Sinclair
      Top Gun: Bro Code — 28” L, 2026
  • Connor Gottfried approaches retro revival through a lens of playful irreverence, drawing heavily from cartoon iconography, early animation, and mass-produced...

    Connor Gottfried approaches retro revival through a lens of playful irreverence, drawing heavily from cartoon iconography, early animation, and mass-produced visual language. His work taps into the collective memory of Saturday-morning television and consumer imagery, but reframes it with a contemporary sensibility that feels self-aware rather than purely sentimental. Gottfried’s paintings thrive on immediacy and recognition, allowing viewers to connect instantly while rewarding closer inspection through subtle distortions and painterly nuance. In the current art market, this balance between accessibility and authorship has made nostalgia-driven imagery particularly compelling, as collectors gravitate toward works that feel culturally familiar yet distinctly of the present moment. Gottfried’s practice reflects a broader resurgence of retro aesthetics that function less as escapism and more as a commentary on how visual culture cycles, mutates, and endures.

     

  • Select Works

    • Connor Gottfried Field of Stones, 2025
      Connor Gottfried
      Field of Stones, 2025
    • Connor Gottfried Opaque (Chromatic Ice) , 2025
      Connor Gottfried
      Opaque (Chromatic Ice) , 2025
    • Connor Gottfried Bounded but Infinite (Crystal), 2025
      Connor Gottfried
      Bounded but Infinite (Crystal), 2025
    • Connor Gottfried Unboxing (Dragon Ball Z) , 2025
      Connor Gottfried
      Unboxing (Dragon Ball Z) , 2025
    • Connor Gottfried If you want to be free, be free (Rodney Mullen and non-conformity) , 2025
      Connor Gottfried
      If you want to be free, be free (Rodney Mullen and non-conformity) , 2025
  • Dylan Martinez’s Pac-Man ghost sculptures distill nostalgia into sculptural form, transforming one of the most recognizable symbols of early video...

    Dylan Martinez’s Pac-Man ghost sculptures distill nostalgia into sculptural form, transforming one of the most recognizable symbols of early video game culture into objects of refined craftsmanship. By rendering these pixel-born characters in hand-blown glass, Martinez bridges the gap between digital memory and physical permanence. The ghosts retain their playful charm, yet the medium elevates them into collectible artworks that speak to both pop history and material skill. In the current art market, this fusion of iconic retro imagery with traditional techniques has proven especially powerful, as collectors respond to works that honor the past while asserting long-term value. Martinez’s Pac-Man ghosts exemplify how nostalgia-driven art can transcend novelty, becoming timeless markers of shared cultural experience filtered through contemporary making.

     
    • Dylan Martinez Pac-Man Ghost Blinky (Large, Red), 2025
      Dylan Martinez
      Pac-Man Ghost Blinky (Large, Red), 2025
    • Dylan Martinez Pac-Man Ghost Inky (Large, Turqouise), 2025
      Dylan Martinez
      Pac-Man Ghost Inky (Large, Turqouise), 2025
    • Dylan Martinez Pac-Man Ghost Pinky (Large, Pink), 2025
      Dylan Martinez
      Pac-Man Ghost Pinky (Large, Pink), 2025
    • Dylan Martinez Pac-Man Ghost Cobalt (Large, Dark Blue), 2025
      Dylan Martinez
      Pac-Man Ghost Cobalt (Large, Dark Blue), 2025
    • Dylan Martinez Pac-Man Ghost (Large, Purple), 2025
      Dylan Martinez
      Pac-Man Ghost (Large, Purple), 2025