Cole Willis (De Martin) is a New York-based Indigenous Mexican-American visual artist, photographer, writer, and student at Columbia University. He uses various forms of the visual arts—photography, mixed-media, film—to create narratives that represent his relationships with human desire, reclamations of youth, unbounded expression, and strife among the many obstacles of life through visual culture. His work seeks to inhabit academic interests while documenting figures within his personal life that carry a metaphysical quality to the untrained eye. Inspired by the traditions of fashion, contemporary visual art & design, literature, and cultural sciences, he attempts to narrate an intersection of such topics through his work. Throughout his work, vibrancy is seminal. Color becomes a manifestation of emotion while also marking an imprint of West African and Latin American heritage.
Willis is a 2023 National YoungArts Finalist in Film and a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. His work has been recognized by the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM), i-D Magazine, Haute Magazine, LA Shorts International Film Festival, New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), Breckenridge Film Festival, Mix Creative Space Exhibit, and Young American Talent Competition.
CONTACT:
colewill05@gmail.com
@coledemartin
New York
Los Angeles
London (January-June 2026)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS & Agencies/CLIENTS:
FEB 2023 i-D Magazine
Haute Magazine
KIM DAWSON AGENCY Inc.
Elite Model Management NYC
Two Managment NY
Kev.mgmt
https://vimeo.com/coledemartin