Wednesday, April 15, 2009

15 minutes of ...

15 minutes of fame

Last year during my work at in one of the schools where I used to teach in The Bronx, a student approached to me asking if there were any of my artwork on the Internet to check it out. I told him, yes of course they are some on the web and he had just to google my graffiti name (cekis, zekis). For his surprise after he googled my name it appeared different works, some old ones and a few recent paints. Like a natural reaction he ask “you should be famous, right?” I said no and I know in Chile there are more people who know me because I’m from there, but here nobody really knows about my work or maybe just a few. We keep looking into the pictures and a few minutes after he asked me again, but this time more as an affirmation, “You must to be famous, right?” It was so much his interest to know if I was famous o not that it made me think how important is to be famous for young kids in this consumerist society like this one? I reminded later that I’d been asked the same by another student before in anther school.
It seems that to be famous in our times is the best thing that ever can happen to you, something that a lot of people yearn for and everyday it’s more infused into the youth and children.
Nowadays you can found in this sociaty from reality shows about totally uninteresting, unsignificant and untrascendental people to starving artists with such a hunger for success and attention that they are willing to sell their souls to be known, make some coins and therefore look as life winners.
It is like a famous pop artist said in the 60’s

“in the future everybody will want their 15 minutes of fame…”


which I ask myself;

For what?

15 minutos de fama
El anio pasado cuando estaba trabajando en una de una escuela en El Bronx, un estudiante se acerco para preguntarme si existian algunos trabajos mios en internet para ver. Yo le dije que claro que habia que ir a google y buscar por mi nombre de escritor de graffiti (cekis o zekis). Lo cual para sorpresa de el despues de googlear mi nombre, aparecieron varios trabajos, algunos antiguos y otros mas nuevos. Como una reaccion natural vino una pregunta de el hacia mi, “tu debes ser famoso”. Yo le dije que no y que en chile habia mas gente que me conocia porque yo era de alla, pero que aqui nadie me conocia o muy poca gente. Seguimos viendo mas fotos y al rato me pregunto denuevo, esta vez mas como una afirmacion, “tu tienes que ser famoso?”. Era tal su interes por saber si yo era famoso que me puso a pensar , que tan importante es ser famoso dentro de una sociedad consumista como esta? Me acorde despues que en otra escuela una estudiante tambien me habia preguntado lo mismo antes.
Ser famoso en estos tiempos parece ser como lo mejor que te puede pasar en la vida, algo que mucha gente anhela y que esta cada vez mas arraigado dentro de los jovenes y ninos en este pais. Hoy en dia uno encuentra desde reality shows sobre gente totalmente no interesante, insignificante e intrascendente hasta artistas hambrientos de exito y atencion vendiendo su alma para ser conocidos y asi verse triunfadores en la vida.
Es como lo que decia un famoso artista Pop en los 60’s

“en el futuro todos van a querer tener sus 15 minutos de fama…”


Lo que me hace preguntarme a mi,

Para que?

Monday, April 13, 2009

New silk-screen prints

"childless" (12"x14")
"grilled#1" (12"x14")
"fre-dum" (20"x30")

Lower East Side Printshop

I recently finished my residency at the LES printshop. This was a one year unique experience where I learned and developed new ways to work. At the same time it was an honor for me to be selected as a Keyholder in this great space and used it as much as I could.
The printshop was founded in 1968 in NY. Since then, it has been giving opportunities for emerging and established artist to show their work and gain experience.
http://www.printshop.org/web/Home/AboutUs.html



Monday, April 6, 2009

Murals in 2009

Warhol/Basquiat/Clemente

Aqui hay algunas piezas hechas en colaboracion por Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat y Francesco Clemente a mediados de los 80's. Fue una sorpresa para mi saber que ellos trabajaron en conjunto para un proyecto en comun, revelandome que no solo los escritores de graffiti pueden producir obras como grupo.

Here are some of the collaboration pieces done by Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente in the mid 80's.
It was a great surprise to know they worked on pieces together for a single project, revealing me that not only graffiti writers can produce unique artwork as a group.