The Watchman is more than a recurring figure in Móyòsóré Martins' work-it is a personal archetype, a spiritual sentinel, and a bridge between worlds. Rooted in Yoruba traditions of carved guardian figures and ancestral spirits, The Watchman has followed Martins through his artistic journey, from Nigeria to New York, carrying with it the weight of cultural memory and spiritual presence.
As Martins settled into the urban landscape of New York, his visual language evolved. Surrounded by street art, design, and the stylized aesthetics of contemporary artists like KAWS, Murakami, and the many Hypebeast and Indie Art Toy collectables, he began to see parallels between the sacred icons of his heritage and the exaggerated pop figures that dominate global visual culture. The result is a compelling juxtaposition: a new kind of iconography that merges the reverent with the irreverent, the traditional with the contemporary.