JEL MARTINEZ - REMOVAL™ from FilmHeads on Vimeo.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
NiteTalk: Jel Martinez Could Be the Buffest Cat in Town
NiteTalk: Jel Martinez Could Be the Buffest Cat in Town
BUZZ UP!1digg
Street art came in from the heat some time ago, and whether the work is being shown in a gallery or a back alley is now almost beside the point. But what happens when an artist goes beyond recreating a piece and brings in the street itself? Well, then you've got a whole new twist. That's the gist of Jel Martinez's "Removal," which opens at Butter on Saturday night. Niteside got with the veteran visualist on the eve of his changing the way we see.
Give us the quick lowdown on "Removal." "Removal" is my first solo exhibition. It consists of eight new paintings that are inspired by the Buffs that surround me in the streets of Miami.
For those who aren't in the game, what are Buffs? Buffs are Removals. The city removes graffiti, matching the closest color of the wall. When a wall is "vandalized," it is buffed by rollers or brushes. These buffs are created subconsciously in our environment and go unnoticed by the general public.
There are four styles that emerge: the symmetrical, which is basically a rectangle; blur, which is when the remover uses a solvent spray to soften the graffiti and blurs it somewhat out; radical, which is a style that looks like an up and down zig-zag from side to side; and ghosting, which is when the vandal does a throw up [bubble lettered tag] and the city only erases the lines of the general form, giving it a ghost look. These styles of removal are all born naturally between the vandal and the city employee. Subconscious art of vandal removal.
I feel that the the city removes one art form while creating another.
Could this be described as capturing the beautiful wounds of a wall after it's been assaulted? Yes, but I must admit that the beauty for me is the entire process, from the wall, which is usually weathered, to the writing that has color and style, and the removal, which has the simplicity and character.
Do the works replicate actual sites, or do they represent what you remember (and/or maybe envisioned)? Some of my paintings are replicas to a certain degree. I can like a style of a buff but may not like the color, so I alter it. Other paintings have parts of walls that have caught my eye, such as peels, rust textures or mold which I recreate from photos I have taken in the past. The paintings don't represent an actual location but rather a place in society that I am a part of.
When were you first struck by the power of this unplanned and uncharted imagery? The thoughts are stored in my memory since the '90s when I was mostly doing illegal pieces in the streets. The city would buff my pieces and leave these images stored in my mind.
Back then you ran with the Inkheads. Who were they and what were they all about? The Inkheads are all about being fresh! Having style with simple aesthetic, but it all comes naturally 'cause our heads are filled with ink. LOL
You still tight with the crew? We still talk from time to time, but we are all grown up now. Everyone is doing their thing and keeping it funky.
Do you still sometimes slip out after dark with a backpack of spray paint and rework another wall? Those days are over, but I'll still take a tag here and there. Mostly though it's official commissions.
Where in town might we see some of that magic? There's something up on the north wall of Wynwood Kitchen & Bar on 26 St and NW 2nd Ave.
Jel Martinez's "Removal" opens Saturday April 9th at Butter 2301 NW 2nd Avenue Wynwood. Advance preview on Thursday April 7th at 7 p.m.
BY JOHN HOOD
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Removal :: Jel Martinez
REMOVAL
Jel Martinez
April 7. 2011
Fierce debate as to the placement of graffiti within a contemporary cultural context is tireless. Is it merely the product of a restless, socially marginalized class of urban youth visually presenting symbols of their activity or is the unadulterated desecration of personal and private property without even the slightest consideration to exact these expressions upon a legally obtained surface?
Jel Martinez engagingly reinvigorates this issue, inverting the criminal act into a deliberate aesthetic representation. Within and upon the urban facades of Miami, JEL has effectively become part of a widely accepted form of the city's own contemporary arts culture as graffiti becomes not only tolerated by its citizens and authorities, but regulated as a controlled art form. The Wynwood Arts District in Miami has become a forum for graffiti artists seeking a larger, more commercially driven sphere of exposure. JEL has joined those ranks with a more unique angle: creating new works by exorcising the ghosts of past graffiti artists and holding them in place.
On exhibit until May 21, 2011.
Opening Reception :: April 7, 2011.
6:00 - 9:00 PM.
Media Only Preview :: April 6, 2011.
12:00 - 6:00 PM.
Artist Statement
Jel Martinez
b. 1976, Miami, Florida
Lives and works in Miami, Florida
Ubiquitous shapes found in my surroundings influence the work I create and consider unique. The patterns and techniques that emerge are referred to as "Buffs". They consist of shapes such as symmetrical, radical, ghosting and blur; as observed on industrial cityscapes. Several of these stylistic forms have been identified by filmmaker Matt McCormick. My paintings are a reenactment of street walls by recreating the textures and writing, followed by the buff using rollers and brushes; in order to explore the subconscious art of vandalism REMOVAL.
Artist Website
www.jelmartinez.com
Butter Gallery
2301 NW 2nd Avenue
Wynwood Arts District 33127
www.buttergallery.com
305.303.6254
contact :: Francisco De La Torre
paco@buttergallery.com
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
South Beach Style
Great Time Assisting My Friend NUNCA all the way from Brazil who created an amazing 54 foot mural on 8th Street and Collins in South Beach, Fl.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
STEEL WHEELS. MARCH 26-28
The Steel Wheels exhibition is running from March 26th-28th in Miami, FLA. This railroad-themed show will feature works by some of the most important North American Rail Road artists. If you’re down in the Miami area, you should definitely check it out!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tips Nozzles Caps 1993
Not to brag, but way before anyone in Miami. I found the hook up for Tips, cause they were heavily needed. This is a stash my grandma had took from me. 276 is what's left from 14,700 tips I had. Everyone who knew me had NY skinnies. Check out the home depot bag. Olympic 1992-1994.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Circa 1989
A sketch I did, about a couple of month before I ever met DEED. Then got the name Jel. Thanks to my good friend DEED..
Friday, February 19, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Art Basel Wynwood 2009
Ise, Finok, Osgemeos, Coyo, Toes, Revok, Reyes, Jel, Raven, Skem, Xabú, Miguel.
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