Soraida Martinez (born July 30, 1956 in Harlem, New York) is an American visual artist of Puerto Rican descent known for her contemporary abstract expressionist paintings and social commentary. She is the creator of the art movement, Verdadism. Early life and education Martinez was born in New York in 1956 and has Puerto Rican heritage. Martinez started painting at age eight. After moving to Vineland, New Jersey at the age of 14, Martinez studied art at Glassboro State College, where she graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specialization in design; she also has a Liberal Arts degree focusing on psychology from Cumberland County College, Vineland, New Jersey in 1978. Career and art Martinez has been the owner of an art and design studio since 1986. Her art is very abstract and hard-edged. Every painting is accompanied by writing, usually in the form of social commentary and often based on her personal experiences. Her paintings have been called "audacious." Martinez's outspoken social commentary is also well known. She has been noted as a person who raises awareness of topics that are considered "too taboo to be discussed in mainstream American society." Verdadism Since 1992 Soraida Martinez has been known as the creator of Verdadism, a form of hard-edge abstraction where each painting is accompanied by a written social commentary. Verdadism is a neologism created by combining the Spanish word, verdad (truth) and the English suffix for theory (ism). Verdadism has influenced a number of contemporary artists and writers and is used by educators to help teach concepts such as diversity and cultural understanding. Martinez's art is intended to connect "two distinct, yet integral parts: the visual and the written word." Viewers are drawn to both the artist's abstract paintings and her commentaries on humanity and the universal human condition. According to Martinez' artist's statement, "My art reflects the essence of my true self and the truth within me...My struggle is for recognition, acceptance and inclusion; and, against racism, sexism and the dominant eurocentric male society, which never expected much from me but still did not allow my voice to be heard. My belief is that one must empower oneself with one's own truth...". Martinez has gained recognition and received many awards for this unique thought-provoking and visually stimulating art style. Among many other social and philosophical issues, Soraida’s Verdadism paintings also address sexism, racism and stereotyping