The Fordistas collective exhibition, Friends and Family, at the Yo <3 305 Gallery in Wynwood brought together the work of seven muralists who, for the first time, had the opportunity to meld their individual talents into a cohesive whole within a single space.
United by friendships forged in exhibitions around the world as well as through shared styles and mediums, the international group of artists, made up of 2501, 2Alas, Axel Void, Alexis Diaz, Jaz, Jufe, and Pastel, decided to join forces to present a show that emphasises the values of cooperation among artists over those of competition.
The shared exhibit accomplished a wide range of expressions and themes including the creative process behind 2501’s subconscious painting, with each voluminous line standing in as a symbol of the passing of time; the playfulness behind 2Alas’ dual collaboration and their incorporation of an iconic image from the 60s; the application of mural techniques on canvas seen in Alexis Diaz’s loose lines and textured piranha; Jufe’s anti-statement on the ephemeral nature of art(work) in circuits such as those created by Art Basel represented in his nuke painting; Jaz’s fusion of the classical and the surreal in his Sagittarius influenced piece; Axel Void’s haunting and mysterious style as well as Pastel’s commentary on the displacement of local identity due to gentrification in neighbourhoods such as Wynwood through a complex and unexpected, yet relevant, integration of local indigenous references to his own historical Northern Argentine identity and the tragically genocidal 1864 War of the Triple Alliance or Paraguayan War. Being that Street Art is one of the first acts in which art may be understood as truly collective, the Friends and Family exhibition consciously celebrates this fact and brings together a surprising and fresh variety of expression bound by canvas and collaboration.
Words by Catalina Ramírez
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