SLATE is pleased to present works by SCAPE Martinez at 225 West Santa Clara Street, on view now through July 7, 2022.

225 West Santa Clara Street Lobby, San Jose

To view this exhibition, visit the address above during regular business hours, Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–5:00 pm, or contact info@slateart.net or call 510-652-4085 for a private viewing appointment.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT
SCAPE Martinez's high impact paintings combine elements of graffiti art and abstract expressionism. Using spray paints and acrylics, the artist invites viewers to feel his physical gestures on the canvas and scale of his artworks on the walls. Bold color and lines create a rhythm and movement that feels uplifting and celebratory. For SCAPE, graffiti art is a vehicle of self expression. SCAPE says, "I want my art to scream off the surfaces. I want them to hear color. Color is life affirming".

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Newark, New Jersey but raised in San Jose, California, SCAPE is an accomplished multidisciplinary artist, arts educator and best-selling author. In the late ’80s and early ’90s SCAPE was recognized in the graffiti art scene for his expressive use of color and lettering styles. In the late ’90s he made the leap from graffiti and street art to studio painting. Decades later, he continues to push graffiti, street and studio art norms which have granted him wall space in San Jose at City Hall, the San Jose Center for Latino Arts, Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), Galeria de la Raza, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Los Gatos Museum of Art, and the United Kingdom. In addition to his studio art practice, SCAPE has been commissioned by schools, community centers, organizations, and city municipalities across the Bay Area to create large scale murals in public spaces.