Name, age, occupation, where are you from and where do you live now?
- Carlos "Mare 139" Rodriguez 39 Years of age, Sculptor, Creative Consultant, I am a first generation New Yorican, I live Uptown.
How did you come up with the name "Mare 139"?
It was short for Night Mare 139, the 139 was the street I lived on in the South Bronx. Back in the 70’s graffiti writers used to have two name tags like Stay High 149, Box Top 149, Super Strutt 223, Lil Kindo etc... I followed suit by tagging Night Mare 139 but shortened it for the purpose of having a good style writing name. In the mid seventies style masters like Noc 167, Kool 131, Chain 3, Part One and others were having a tremendous influence on Wild Style masterpieces so I shortened it to Mare 139 so I could focus on style writing.
Can you describe the evolution of your earlier work (Wild Style - like that in Style Wars) to your current sculpture work?
I think it was a natural progression, possibly one that was always there in the mind of style writers for years, I just took it a bit further by manifesting it in metal and bringing it to life. My initial interest was to become a great style writer like my partners, Kel 1st, Cos 207, Shy 147, Dondi, Duro, and Min 1, these guys were at the apex of style writing for most of the 1980’s.
My goal in our collaborations was to “burn”, (produce the best work competitively) my partners or other rival writers. Wanting to burn writers sounds retarded but it was a competitive thing, a motivator and a way to pay homage to the art. You see there was a foundation and a standard set by pioneering style writers that allowed us to evaluate one another's works. There were critiques as to how you used colors, shapes, interconnectivity, shadows or 3-D Drop downs, and more importantly the arrow, how you used your arrow was important and critical to the production of a wild style piece. So having the bar set so high I need to differentiate myself, take it to the next level...I suppose.
I made my first sculpture in 1985 and it was perfect, it was a letter K and it had moving arrows, it flowed in and out of space and was spray painted. It was a perfect interpretation of a wild style letter form. At that time my first works were purely wild style letter relief's. I was able to really articulate a concept that played out in 2 dimensions on trains into a 3-D space by making stand alone letters in 1986. I also started to correlated my experience as a style writer and the influence of break dancers and Hip Hop in general into my work. The aggressive assault of arrows and the occupation of space became the component of the work and it started to change my process and style instantly.
Looking at your earlier sculptures through your work today, what kind of changes have you made?
Early on I was translating an experience from my subway paintings and as I started to allow the sculptures to become more freeform and expressive they evolved, the dialogue expanded in terms of how I treated the materials, forms, space and rhythms. I found myself seeking out the works of other sculptors like Frank Stella, the Russian Constructivist, Futurist, Picasso and Julio Gonzalez and others whose works encouraged me to continue this conversation in modern sculpting. The most significant change in my work has been the moving away from the obvious icons of modern graffiti into a manner that is more in the Constructivist mode. More in line with what I call Urban Constructivism.
What are your preferred materials to work in and how did you get started in the medium?
I think all metals are of preference, I even use wire hangers when I do studies. I got started on the medium by painting trains.
In your artist's statement on your website, you mention that you are in the process of large scale sculptures using subway parts. Can you describe the concept of the work and how that is going so far?
The Red Bird series is probably my most significant shift from the graffiti “style” sculptures into a new form of sculpture. I started to create works from salvaged Red Bird train parts and have been in the process of acquiring a subway car to dismantle and turn into artworks. I cant divulge any more than that. It has nothing to do with graffiti and more to do with NY history and the genius of American manufacturing when they were making these metal giants.
Of the pieces you've done (graffiti or sculpture), which are you most fond of?
Obviously the first was the epiphany, but I would say that I have a piece called “Paradigm Shifter 1” that is my favorite because it was such a break through and it captured a shift from wild style graffiti sculptor to Urban Constructivism. The influence of two vastly different periods of art collided in this work and it shows by my treatment of materials and the forms I used. This was created in a period where I would just freestyle in the studio, there were no drawings (which I rarely do) or reference, it just happened.
In Style Wars, you didn't seem to be the biggest fan of "Cap"? Do you still feel the same way after more than 20 years, or is it all water under the bridge?
Water under the bridge.
How much contact do you have with the people you appeared with in Style Wars?
I do see many of them frequently in and around metropolis. Its funny how after some 30 something years I still know and collaborate with some of the same artist! Some of these guys are legends in my eyes and I am still humbled when I meet the old school writers before me.
Besides your current work in sculpture, do you express yourself in any other forms of art?
I have been doing a lot of technology related works since 1989, I was always into web development and multimedia. I like digital media a a lot, I see great potential in it for obvious reasons. I recently launched the Style Wars website and have played a role in the development of Atari and Marc Ecko’s graffiti game site Getting Up. These two projects are very different but afford me to continue spreading the history and value of graffiti art.
Graffiti - art or nuisance?
Both at any given time.
In your opinion, is new york city better off without the graffiti of the late 70s/early 80s?
Better because of it. We gave New York a special claim to a unique art movement that has transformed modern art and commercial art world wide.
Are there any graffiti artists working today that particularly impress you?
Yes, ZEDSZ who is Dutch, Dare who is Swiss, West who is from NYC, Doze who is from NYC.
What do you make of what seems like a sudden appreciation of "street art" in NYC now? are there any such artists that you are familiar with or are a fan of?
Street art is nothing new, it is just refined and artsy. There are a lot of art students and artist that have taken to the street with clever designs and potent messages over the last 25 if not 40 years. Clearly what happens on the streets dictate a whole lot about trends, politics and culture so to me I see it as a perfect cross between us high and low art.
Where is graffiti going to be in 20 years?
Graffiti is many things to many people, moreover it is a voice of a generation and a movement of many many aspiring artist and vandals worldwide. It is a constantly evolving art form which I think will dominate modern art making on many levels. It is universally practiced and self sufficient from institutions, it spurns new challenges in areas of fine art, architecture, motion graphics, fashion, web design and print media. These areas and more are being discovered by these self styled revolutionaries including myself, I feel it is a boundless expression and it has as much longevity as modern abstraction.
When was the last time you did graffiti on the streets?
I get up commercially now, my name or tag is no longer on the streets, I focus on my works and push to get name recognition for my contributions. For instance I could write my name strategically on a wall where maybe 500,000 people will see it in a day or I could get 10 million viewers to see my work in the form of the Annual BET Award which is televised yearly. This type of getting up is more common amongst some of us writers, we see commercial opportunities as one way of getting our names out there.
What's your favorite subway line?
The Broadway #1 Line, it is the line of Kings. It was the proving line, the choice for elite wild style writers.
When you just need to get away from it all, where is your favorite place in NYC to be alone?
Right now it is Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Describe that low-low moment where you thought you might leave NYC for good.
I wrestle with that regularly but I just cant do it, I have tried but I always come back, I have no choice but to make it here!, there is no place that challenges me as much. I love Hudson Valley Upstate NY too, I wish to retire there. The lowest has been when I was going through a break up but we kissed and made up and here I am with an amazing 2 year old who will learn to love NY in his own special way.
What place or thing would you declare a landmark?
A subway station. 149 St Grand Concourse, Last car of the Uptown #2 and #5 train there was a bench called writers bench where graffiti writers converged to share outline, sign black books, fight, make plans to do whole cars but mainly to watch trains go by. There are so many legends and stories that have passed through there, man I could see a plaque there someday...hmmm he hmmms...that a good idea!
What advice, if any, would you give Mayor Bloomberg?
Thanks for supporting Art and do your thing Mr. Mayor, I have no expectations of you. Surprise me! Mayor Koch did.
Visit the Carlos "Mare 139" Rodriguez's website and the Style Wars site.
