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
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