talking off the wall mag #7

Revisiting a question we asked you a year ago. How long have you been painting and where did you get started? I’ve been painting for 5 years already. I started painting more when I was in high school, so by my junior or senior year of high school is really when I started painting on canvases and so on.

Do you have any formal art training? I don’t have any formal art training. I did go to school for graphic design one year; it didn’t work for me. Money wise, I couldn’t afford school, so I pretty much stopped going to school, but I did take on learning more and educating myself. It has been mostly self taught.

Is there a message behind your art? Oh, for sure. I think that after noticing that my work has reached different people, especially younger people. Younger people like me, I still consider myself young, seem attracted to the work. They follow the hard work I have put into my work. So there is

some sort of obligation that I feel to have a meaning or have a specific purpose to my

pieces. Now more than before, I find myself questioning everything I do. Finding purpose and finding reasons why I’m making these things. In order for me to keep a conversation going and evolving from there, one needs to understand where I am coming from and what I am doing, see where I want to go. So yeah, everything I do now-a-days has a purpose. Whatever I try to do that is more spontaneous, I don’t try to stop it, but I do it and before I put it out there, I analyze it and see where it came from and what it is that I was doing when I did this.

You created an amazing character named, Fado. How did he come to birth? I came up with Fado from a term my dad would use to express playing around with someone you love to the point you are just hugging one another. He really just made it up. As kids we adopted it and I dissected it to Fado. I keep thinking and trying to remember when I created Fado and I cannot exactly remember when. He was definitely created somewhere around 2008. I was just drawing characters back then and naming them after childhood stories that my dad would tell. So I would make that connection and I would be like, here is a new character and I would name it after a story or an experience. That is where I was at that point, but I kept using the Fado character. As an artist when you use or have a connection with the same character or image, it is for a reason. I noticed that it was “confusion” and “curiosity” in my case. Which I have always felt very curios and confused about things. Then I noticed that people were feeling the same way and as humans we have that nature of being curious. That’s the nature of us and then we move on to the next curiosity. Some have more than others. Then Fado became more of an image for me to say different things. There is always the general topic of curiosity and confusion and then it could touch on different aspects of life; political issues, personal stuff, or more conceptual ideas. So it became an outlet of expression. Fado is a character who can relate to many people, in a very particular yet universal level as well.

If you or Fado could have a SUPER POWER, what would it be? Speed, like Flash, that was my favorite superhero. I think it is because I am so passionate but also I want to do everything now. I am eager and ambitious right now. Maybe that will change with time and I will become more patient about different things, but at this point I just want to go. So I guess super speed would be it.

What is Wynwood to you? Wynwood is the best platform that has ever been created in the history of Miami, simple. That’s it, the biggest most successful art platform for Miami.

In and around Wynwood, are you collaborating with any local artists? Yes, and I am trying to do it more and more because I feel like we are obligated to create a community and share with each other. I’m doing it with more than just other visual artists; I am doing it with local brands, with musicians, and magazines. Mainly because it helps me as an artist to push my ideas through different routes, so yeah it is getting a lot better. Before, you wouldn’t see as much collaboration because they just really need to make sense and be pure. If you force it, it can then become meaningless.

Is there a particular way you choose who you collaborate with? I have to love what they are doing. I definitely need to be passionate about what they are doing individually in order for me to enjoy my contribution. If not, then it really just doesn’t make sense.

What do you love and hate about your craft? Well with my craft, if I hate it, I don’t do it. But if I love it, I will do it. One thing I don’t like is the amount of time I spend sending emails and doing the leg work for other things and projects to happen. I don’t complain about it, but I am working very hard for it to change so someone can help me out with the administrative aspects of my work. My focus is to make quality work, not sending out emails.

Share with us, where in S. Florida can we see your work; any? Yes, I do shows in Wynwood, the Design District. My studio, you can hit me up and see my work here. I’ve done shows with Wyn317 and Art Fusion Gallery.The show in Dubai I am looking forward to; which is happening next year in February. It is a solo gig and extended gig so it seems special. I’m really looking forward to getting to know that culture too. NY and L.A. have been amazing to me. Every time I go to either, I get inspired and a lot comes from those exhibitions. What do you expect from Art Basel this year? Every year it changes, so I expect to be very busy. I also expect to enjoy it. Last year was one of the year’s I really, really enjoyed it. By the end of the week I was dead, but I wished it never stopped. But being more specific, I am looking forward to Art Basel being a statement for local artists. I want local artists to blow up and really get recognition from the outer cities. That would be the main goal, to make a stand and say this is Wynwood and these are our local artists. I have some murals I plan on participating in for Art Basel.

GABRIEL “GG” GIMENEZ

GG | Photo by @ohrangutang

who wrote “Subway Art” with Martha) and I wrote the book we did it to share what we had experienced, what we had seen. We always avoided history telling because it can be so difficult to nail down. They were doing what they love and we wanted to document it somehow.

Crash: We saw their work as a love thing, because they just did it because they wanted do it. We knew it wasn’t about money this is why they were so important to us. They saw and they captured what we loved and they did what they loved.

Martha: This is invaluable; this is history telling from here, Crash, who was there in the beginning.

TOTW: How was “Subway Art” accepted when it first published?

Martha: Not particularly well, it got stolen a lot.

Crash: It is the number one stolen book ever published

Martha: The first edition the covers all fell off, so it got delayed. It never got any reviews and it was only 96 pages. I am starting a museum in Berlin about street art and I got this book from Amsterdam that is about 600 pages. I think print is on its way out. Everything will be on the internet therefor I am collecting all art related to printed magazines to portray them at the museum.

TOTW: You’ve said that taking action shots are your favorite?

Martha: When I shoot a mural on a wall it is for the work being done, not so much the finished product. Anyone can do that. Take a picture. I like to see what color schemes they choose in their techniques. That is what is interesting to me, not so much the finished work.

TOTW: What projects are you working on now?

Martha: Sowebo is a project I am working on in Baltimore. You should also look at Soweto; it is the South African version of it. It is a photo series that compares two cities, Soweto- a city in South Africa, and Sowebo- a nickname for Southwest Baltimore. It is undeniable that Martha Cooper has earned the respect of artists and peers around the world through her magnificent work. It was truly a pleasure for Talking off the Wall to meet such an extraordinary and talented person. We look forward to seeing more of her extraordinary work. Thank you Marty!

Martha Cooper is a renowned photo journalist from Baltimore who has been documenting graffiti and street art since the 1970’s.

Her love for photography started at the age of 3 when she was given a camera by her father while in nursery school.

She went on to graduate with an Art degree at the age of 19, taught English as a peace corps volunteer in Thailand, received an

anthropology diploma from Oxford, and journeyed by motorcycle from Krungthep to London. She also interned with National Geographic as a photographer.

Martha’s life as a photo journalist would take a different direction when she met Edwin Keith Reid also known as HE3. He was the street kid who introduced Martha to Dondi, a graffiti king who allowed her to accompany him while he was tagging trains. This led her to spend many hours with him in east New York, before she went out to photograph in the yards.

Her first book of photographs, “Subway Art”, illustrating graffiti subculture was published in the early 80’s. She developed relationships with top graffiti artists during a time when there was little attention given to street art, instead it was seen only as a form of vandalism.

Her photographs have appeared in National Geographic, Smithsonian and Natural History magazines. Talking off the Wall (TOTW) had the privilege of interviewing Martha in Miami during her visit to photograph local and international artists invited to participate in the Miami Marine Stadium Project.

TOTW: Martha, from all these artists that you’ve met during a time when graffiti was still fairly unknown, what do you think was the motivation of these artists to do graffiti on the trains?

Martha: I think everyone had a different motivation, but if I was to give an opinion I would say that the subway ran Bronx through Manhattan and out to Brooklyn, therefore it was a way of having their names move through different towns. For them, writing the names in a public place where you don’t need permission, unlike a gallery where things are more structured, gives you a sense of motivation. If you have enough guts to seize that space anybody can do it.

TOTW: At the time when you first stumbled into this new adventure, was the word graffiti in use already? What is graffiti to you? Martha: Yes. They were using words such as graffiti, artist, writers but overall most didn’t like the term graffiti. For me graffiti is a good name for when it is illegal but the moment you have permission to do a wall I wouldn’t call it graffiti. There is a big difference between graffiti and street art. Graffiti is about writing your name and letter, when I speak about graffiti this is what I am referring to.

TOTW: Do you keep in touch with Edwin (HE3)?

Martha: I’ve been in and out of touch with him throughout the years. But I’ve lost touch with him in the last few years.

TOTW: When you were watching Dondi painting “children of the grave”, you had mentioned in the past this was your highlight. Have you been able to top that with any other experiences?

Martha: No, I think that it could never be surpassed. I feel that was like a doorway that I walked through that opened up this amazing world with all these new opportunities that are still happening. I will also say that meeting Edwin (HE3) was also an important moment. Edwin unlocked a world I knew nothing off. He explained to me what graffiti was. He said “I am writing my name in this book, this is my nickname and I will put it on the wall when I am ready”, suddenly I understood that all of those little scribbles I saw on the wall were actually names. It was really incredible.

~Suddenly Martha’s attention moved toward this gentleman walking into the room. It is Crash, we are startled… wow!!

Martha: Well look who’s here, it is John Matos, also known as Crash. Come join us.

Crash, is a graffiti artist who was initially noticed for his work on subway cars and abandoned buildings. He is now regarded as a pioneer of the Graffiti art movement. As he joined the interview with Martha he agreed that the motivation for them as artist to write their names on the trains was to expose their work through different towns. TOTW: At what point did you realize that through your photography you were making history.

Martha: It wasn’t until recently that I realized how far all of this has gone. I didn’t think it was going to last 30 years. At that moment when Henry (Henry Chalfant,

MARTHA COOPER

Martha Cooper Credit: Pascal Doytier

Chaz from The London Police & Tristan Eaton Credit: Martha Cooper

Chaz from The London Police Credit: Martha Cooper

Friday, November 28thNorthwood Village Mural Project: Amanda Valdes Hosted by Eduardo Mendieta 6-9pmNorthwood Village 400 Northwood Road, WPBSaturday, November 29thFAT Village Art Walk 7-11pm | North Andrews & NW 5th St, Ft Lauderdale

“Gossamer: Mixed Media Art Show” ft. Kelcie McQuaid 6-11pmArt Attack 807 NE 4th Ave, Ft Lauderdale

Flagler Village Art WalkMAC Fine Art Gallery 833 NE 4th Ave, Ft LauderdaleSunday, November 30thUrban Blue Project: Art for a Cause - Miami EditionLive performances by local and intl urban artists on portable walls.1731 N. Miami Ave, Wynwood 2-6pm

Auction Art - Hosted by Talking Off The WallBenefitting “Sketches for Mankind”, 3rd Sunday for hunger, arts for humanityArt by Remote, Eduardo Mendieta, Diana Contreras, Nate Dee, Luis Valle, Trek 6, Evoca1, GG, Yuhmi Collective, Kazilla, Ruben Ubiera, HoxxoH, and TMNK.R House Restaurant 2727 NW 2nd Ave, Wynwood 7-11pmMonday, December 1stMiami Marine Stadium Winter Benefit ExhibitionArt | History is a mural project focused on bringing attention to the mission and raising funds for Friends of Miami Marine Stadium. | 5 NW 36th St, Miami

Concrete Era Opening Reception 6-9pm | WYN317 167 NW 25 ST, Wynwood Arts District

Smell The Magic – A solo exhibition by Kris KnightOpening Reception 8-10pm | Spinello Projects 95 NE 40th Street, Miami

Collaborative Art Projects 7-10pmArtMedia Studio | Gallery 2750 NW 3rd Avenue, Unit N°12, MiamiTuesday, December 2ndParadise is where you are right now – A solo exhibition by Marcela MoujanOpening night 8-11pm | Vice Gallery 47 NE 25th St, Wynwood Arts DistrictDecember 2-7 SCOPE Miami BeachSCOPE Art Show returns to the sands of Miami Beach for its 14th edition. Critically acclaimed art shows that extend beyond the ordinary in Contemporary art.

ART MIAMI International Contemporary and Modern Art FairThe Art Miami Pavilion Midtown | Wynwood Arts District 3101 NE 1st Avenue, MiamiDecember 3-7 Freedom - Art + Technologie + Music5 days and 5 nights of FREEDOM will take place during Art Basel in and around a breathtaking 30k sq. ft. warehouse space in the heart of Wynwood Arts District!

In the Paint, The Wade CollectionHosted by the Brisky Gallery, in assoc. with the NBA, Dwyane Wade and the Wade Foundation. Curated by Billi Kid, the exhibition is an explosive re-purposing of the iconic 2011 NBA All-Star Game basketball court as defined by Dwyane Wade himself. 10-6pm Brisky Gallery 130 NW 24th St, Wynwood Arts DistrictDecember 4-7Art | Basel |Miami Beach A cultural and social highlight for the Americas.

Wynwood Embassy presents: Voice, Herakut’s Miami Solo Show12pm -12am | Mana Wynwood Production Village 318 NW 23rd St, Wynwood Arts DistrictFriday, December 5thWall Brawl Art Basel Edition for the Giralda Under the Stars event in Coral Gables.Artists from Spain, Tennessee, Orlando and some of the best local talent.Restaurant Row (100 block of Giralda Ave between Ponce de Leon Blvd & Galiano Street)Saturday, December 13thWynwood Art Walk Art Gallery, Public Art, and Event Space 7-11pmNW 2nd Ave (between NW 20th & NW 36th St), Wynwood Arts DistrictSaturday, December 20thDowntown Hollywood Art Walk 3rd Saturday of every month 7-10pm | Hollywood Blvd./Harrison St. & Tyler St.

Bird Road Art Walk Experience Miami’s Art SceneConveniently Located Just East of the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) & South of Bird Rd (SW 40th St), The Majority of the Studios Are Located off of SW 74 & SW 75 Ave, Miami

TALKING OFF THE WALLYour CommUNITY Street Artist’s Voice

FACEBOOK /talkingoffthewall

INSTAGRAM @talkingoffthewall

Masthead/Logo: GG Artwork

Centerfold Poster: PILS by Gabriel “GG” Gimenez

Small Poster: Collaboration work by The London Police & GG

Ads & Events: Due the 10th of each [email protected]

Cover Photo: Portrait of GG by @Ohrangutang

Art Direction: Gabriel “GG” Gimenez @ggartwork

Graphic Design: Greg Gayle @greg_gayle

TOTW talented writers, amazing photographers, contributors, unconditional supporters, artists and friends:Christy Thompson, Clara Vanessa, Sandro Abate, Sean R Sullivan, Craig Ledermann, Robert William, Andrew Kaufman, Jonathan Delgado, Sunshyne Reels, Myra Wexler aka Yo Momma, Yuval & Lorie Ofir, Sookie & Maddie Endo, Justin Hamel, Yess Miakoda, Zoel Zupstar, David McCauley, Renda Writer, TMNK aka Nobody, Luis Valle, Able Gw, Ivan Roque, Chy Tea Shoulin, GG, Danny Ferrer, Kelo, Jorge Rodriguez, Subi Roberto, 2Square, Kazilla, The DOWW, Leza One, HecOne, Diana Contreras, Atomik, Jenny Perez, Evoca1, Trek6, Don Rimx, Asek, Buddah Funk, Derek Wilson, Effis Art, Registered Artist, Rigo Leon, 8bitlexicon, Steven Reyes, Nate Dee, Sergio Quinonez, Krave Art, Luis Berros, Tee Davis & Jessica Schnur, Abstrk, Astre74, Gons, Ernesto Kunde, Jenny Perez, Danelle & Michele Pino, Barbara de Varona, Monique Lassooij, Eleazar Delgado, Joshua Kingston, Yuhmi Collective, Aquarela Sabol & Sharif Salem, Carolina Tesoro, Ramzi Adek, James Brutus, Jay Bellicchi, Rolando Chang Barrero, Jake Cordero, Craig O’Neil, Hector Garcia @ The Hangar, Gregg Shienbaum Fine Art, Nadia Desjardins, Stefanie Caro, Tesoro Carolina, Chor Boogie, Lee Hoechstetter and my children, Lucas, Maxence and Shayna. Kudos to John and his team at Artist & Craftsman Supply Store for your help and support with TOTW upcoming Art Basel ’14 project…Special thanks to Steev Rullman & PureHoney Magazine for believing in TOTW and making it possible.Peace

Anyone who has spent more than 5 minutes in Wynwood is probably familiar with the photographer Alessandro Abate. His red Chuck Taylors, silvery beard and magnetic personality make Sandro a difficult person to miss. Most of us usually catch up with him at Wynwood exhibitions or events while he’s busy with multiple cameras in hand, doing his thing.

Photography is in his blood. Sandro’s father had a photo studio in Venezuela and many of his earliest memories are of developing film in the darkroom and learning his way around a camera.

Fast forward to 2010, when Sandro, already living in Miami for over 3 decades by that point, began traveling to the Everglades to patiently capture the beauty of Florida wildlife. His nature photography has garnered numerous awards and accolades, however most people know him best for his Wynwood work: from the striking, wide-angle photos of muralists on scaffolds painting their masterpieces to the images of daily life that are so distinctively #Wynwood like the baristas at Panther Coffee or a sunset over Wynwood Walls.

Since 2012, Sandro’s been coming to Wynwood almost daily (yes, as in everyday) to photograph Miami’s beloved arts district. He recalls first getting bitten by the “Wynwood bug” during artwalk a few months before Art Basel, when the pre-Basel buzz was already kicking in. Fresh murals were being worked on like the La Pandilla one outside of Wood Tavern. “It was mind blowing to see how they (La Pandilla) were producing it, sitting there with a paintbrush, line by line. It was exciting to see how the final piece was made.”

Sandro’s photography captures that essence, those specific creative moments which he considers very special. And he’s right: witnessing an artist create artwork is different than just admiring the final product. Being present is almost intimate. It’s an invitation to participate by watching the artist bring their vision to life. It creates a bond between viewer, the work and artist that otherwise might be lost. Besides being a technically brilliant photographer in many genres, his vision and outright passion for street art is what makes Alessandro’s work so uniquely inspiring. Alessandro has helped shape Wynwood’s image and identity over the past several years as one of its locals. He is a cherished and integral part of this community.Follow over 5,800 stunning posts on Alessandro Abate’s Instagram: @SandroAbate or http://sandrophotos.com ~ Aquarela Sabol

ALESSANDRO ABATE

Credit: Sandro Abatte

As Art Basel nears and artists look for walls in and around Wynwood sometimes you hear people complain about out of town artists taking walls away from locals. Some resent the out of town artists for stepping on our turf. This is a sensitive subject, especially as walls in Wynwood continue to disappear. It seems like every day or two another storefront pops up where once there were awesome murals. I have been photographing Wynwood on an almost daily

basis since the fall of 2012 and the change is shocking. Wynwood is gentrifying faster than paint dries. Stores and condos are replacing empty lots, warehouses and galleries at an alarming rate. Soon Wynwood won’t have any open walls. So it’s understandable to feel apprehension when the few walls that are left are taken by so called out-of-towners. Wynwood is changing, and that is inevitable. But the barrio we know and love was born of change. We can’t resist that change, we must embrace it.

I have spoken to friends like Adam (Atomik) and Luis Valle (El Chan Guri) about this subject and I think that each has a good point of view. Adam travels a lot and relies on friends to host him and show him the best spots to paint. He returns the favor by hosting out of town artists in his apartment during Art Basel and being a good host. No one comes to him and hands him walls, he hustles for the walls he paints. The out of town artists are hustling too. If you want a wall, get out there and get one. Like Adam says, don’t talk about it, be about it.

Luis says that the problem is caused by self-made street curators who lack the sensibility of a gallerist, street artist or a graffiti writer and they don’t understand the rules. The out of town artists aren’t the problem, they are hustling just like our artists would when going to a new city. It hurts when Art Basel comes and the locals are overshadowed, but instead of bemoaning the fact that a hugely popular event is bringing artists from all over the world to Miami, the local artists should get together and help each other out.

The solution isn’t complaining or in mistreating the visiting artists. We should come together and develop our own events. Yes Wynwood is changing and the walls are disappearing, but Little Haiti, Overtown, Little Havana, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and other communities around us are beginning to welcome art and artists. We are the artists, the visionaries. Let’s organize our own event in our community. Let’s get out there and make art happen. ~Sandro Abate

WAR OF THE WALLS

Kazilla & Few and Far Crew Credit Pascal Doytier

talking off the wall mag #7

Documents