TOOFLY NYC

Heading back to Panama City this May! Received confirmation to participate in the 1st Panama Mural Arts Festival taking place May 20th-May 26th. If your planning on a vacation some where with a little street art action check out this event. I was there in 2014 and got a chance to stroll thru the modern city area and historic center #CascoViejo, visit beaches like #RedFrogBeach, and hang out with friends in #BocasDelToro. This time I will enjoy my time painting and building with the artists. Thank you Panama crew, see you soon.

I’m back from Panama! Ready to rock this re-cap before my trip to NY. What an experience, one of the best one’s yet. Festival’s are not easy, especially in our countries. When you keep a positive attitude through it all it can make a huge difference. My wall took a while to lock in, I lost 3 days in the process but in the end it all worked out. The perfect wall became available and it challenged me to prepare a piece that could work with the structure + time frame I had left. Traveling to paint can be a rollercoaster at first,  not everything will go as planned or smooth but if your patient and trust your gut instinct you’ll be all good. The more I paint in countries like south america, and central america the more I learn to slow down, which makes a huge difference in all it is trying to teach me.

Panama has various indigenous communities one of them is GUNA. Also known as KUNA. They live in the mountains and islands as well as in the city. They make beautiful artisanal molas and bead jewelry. What I found most fascinating is that they own 365 Islands ( Sand Blas ) correctly named called “Guna Yala” They have their own rules, and they handle the tourism once inside their islands. They are independent from the Panamanian Government. That’s what I’m talking about!  Shine light on the people that are all about protecting their land, water, culture, and tradition so that it is not lost.  Indigenous Rights matter.

“Sembrar” Panama City 2019 Barrio Santa Ana Calle 14 y Calle C

During my wait for a wall to come up, I spent time strolling thru the streets, chatting with the community, making new friends, having an ice cold beer, and sketching. Panama is going through a big change, many “centro historicos” in South America are. There is a re-birth about to go down. It is seen, and it is felt by all. As you walk down these streets the architecture of old buildings next to new buildings tells the whole story.  Everything comes back around for a new cycle. The contrast is beautiful, but it is also sad. We all know that street art and art in general is a tool for social change in our communities. It can bring a lot of good to people who need it the most. People who are forgotten, marginalized, oppressed, and poor. We do the work to save lives as well. We painted in the barrio of Santa Ana, it is at the cusp of the tourist sector with fancy restaurants, and shops. Kind of like the edge of Williamsburg back in the day when it was all factories, and now…well you know how it is now. Gentrified. That’s exactly the set-up, and all developers know it. They are jumping in to grab what they can. Little by little it will reach Santa Ana, it is very very close. The poor just like the poor in other major cities will be pushed further away. There is no stopping this trend of urban planning. It is happening everywhere, and the more I travel the more I see the same story played over. We care about these issues, and are caught in the mix of it. As artists of color we have a responsibility to not only beautify communities, raise the moral of people, bring smiles, and most of all spark inspiration to create change and rise up. If people take pride in their neighborhood, they take pride in who they are, and then they take back their streets. They defend what is theirs. We have a right to report back to the world what is happening, the good and the bad. All of this will go on whether we are there or not, but it will happen faster with the attention. I have seen it in Peru, in Ecuador, in Panama, in Mexico, and of course in NY. Our hope is that in the middle of this territory battle that benefits the wealthy, that we report plus plant seeds. Seeds that help others find ways to work with these communities so that their culture is protected. Their traditions and stories kept alive. If it is all gone, and the starbucks move in, it becomes another empty illusion of what folks flock there for in the first place. CULTURA! AMOR! CULTURA! Our countries are “rich in culture” they are not for the soulless “privileged rich” who want to push the less fortunate out for their benefit. You either work with us, or against us. We must protect what is dear and important to us. Our cultures are (((( love )))) realized and what keeps our human spirit alive.

Gracias Santa Ana! Your smiles filled us up. The little things in life matter more.

Gracias Chi-Chi and Bolivar! Flowers and colors go a long way for the many who have little or unfortunate circumstances.

Before I returned to Ecuador, I had a chance to reconnect with friends who have moved to the islands and starting new lives away from the illusion of freedom in a big city. Nature can change that. Happy for them! Love you amiga <3

Thank you Panama Mural Fest! Disem, and Dreps and the whole crew, even your lovely mom and pop. I am proud of you guys. You all worked so hard in all areas of the festival when all odds where against ya. We saw it, we felt it.  It all works out in the end, and I am thankful you took the first step as Latino organizers in the movement. ( Fist Up ) Shout out to all the artists who did amazing pieces. Check out some of the images on —>@BombingScience

Lastly, I want to give a big shout out to @atelierpanama which is a community space run by Angie, and Laura in center of city not far from our walls in barrio Santa Ana. It was a central location for artists to rest, eat, communicate with the group, sketch, and hold all our materials safe. It is also a safe space that helps to save kids lives. Free art classes are given to kids ages 6-12. If these kids were not in the classroom they would be out  in the barrio getting in trouble thru drugs, violence, and worst. I thank them eternally for their role in Panama Mural Fest and in their community space as an example of what is needed. They do it on their own, out of love because they care. We need more of that! Support folks making the world a better place for the generations to come so they can flip the script.

Over, and out. Hasta la proxima hermanos, y hermanas – TOOFLY

Nina Shunku – a community space in the Centro Historico of Quito, and one of my favorite spaces to support. When I arrived back in 2012 the building was in shambles but little by little the crew has fixed it up and is now running education programs, workshops, music events, cultural gatherings and much more. Proud of them! It as time to rock a new piece before my trip to NY and squeezed it in just in time for the 7/10 year anniversary event.

Hello 2019 — new year, new projects! Setting it off with a collaboration wall production with one of Quito, Ecuador’s most recognized street artist APITATAN. He’s been making moves for years, and is a leading aerosol artist in many ways for the culture. We have been meaning to work on a piece together for some time now so when our friend @Sramdip from Nepal arrived for a visit we decided to go for it. As character artists, and in touch with our energy frequency we felt a mystical theme would work great with Sramdip’s pyramid calligraphy. It took about a weekend to get our schedules organized to meet up and get to work. Worked it out as best we could, and was happy with the time we had to build. Also the 1st MTN aerosol graffiti shop has arrived to Quito and was a few blocks away. We will brew! stay tuned…

“VIBRATIONS” Location:  Calle Pablo Claudel Street Jipijapa sector

Thank you friends!

#Tooflypopup at the next La Carishina event in Quito, Ecuador December 15 & 16 from 11am -7PM. See you there!

One of my favorite destinations to vacay and paint! I’ve been visiting various parts of Mexico for a good couple of years now, and each trip is better than the next. The country, the people, the food, the culture. I fall more and more in love with it on each trip. I am thankful for the opportunity to paint at the very 1st Akumal Beach Arts Festival this coming November. I plan to paint something beautiful, as well as educational to raise awareness to sea life issues. #ClimateAction is at the forefront of many of our mural projects these days. We need to raise awareness on what is happening in the animals in the oceans and decay in sea life/plant life. As humans we have to get mega strict on using less plastic, and educating ourselves on ways to do less harm to the planet. If each of us do something to change our ways it can help. If your in Cancun on vacation, take that 1hr ride to Akumal and check us out Nov 9,10, 11th. Support the cause, support the festival.

Sketch is ready, flight is booked, and artist lodging is amazing! There is a lot of artists involved, looking forward to meeting them all plus the festival crew.

Need more details? – learn more about the project on their facebook page and articles like Yucatan Times.

4Yr Anniversary at Torno Co-Lab! I love this place. A co-working location in center of Quito, Ecuador where architects, designers, and artists get together to work, and develop creative projects. Follow them and check out what they have been up to. Growing each year. Thank you for the invitation to paint. Joins Back X Toofly collab was fun under the beautiful sunshine. Just what I needed to get my wrist back on track.

Final Collaboration Photo coming soon!

Yes! we’re finally able to share a really fun installation project that took place this past summer in the heart of NY. The Lower East Side has a rich history, and true school New Yorkers all have memories of what it was like “back in the day”. 5Pointz Creates set out to capture the essence of what continues to make the “lower” special “A Vertical Love Letter to the Bowery” curated by Marie Cecile Flageul and directed by our dear friend Meres. A staircase with 21 floors, and 21 artists who work hard to represent and evolve as artists no mater what label they give us. Writers, graffiti artists, street artists, fine artists, painters, etc; in the end many of us are all that. If you are paying attention you can see how the lines have started to blur. Go up, or go down the stairs and you will see a variety of aerosol art letter pieces, portraits, landscapes, quotes, and designs that make this installation the Museum of Street Art aka MoSABowery. The more artists, and property owners can work together with respect/honor with deas like this the more we can keep the urban arts alive.

@MosaBowery project at the new CitizenM hotel will open to the public October 1st from ( 10am-5pm with ID) Free of charge. A great experience for art lovers and travelers worldwide, especially those that miss 5Pointz and want to learn more about the graffiti history of NY. Be sure to take a flick and hashtag  your favorite artist and the project — #5pointzcreates, #mosabowery, #citizenm

Yeo! remember the time when they looked at all of us like vandals who wore baggy clothes, listened to hip hop, and were up to “no good”. Look at us now! — all grown up, doing what we love as artists, and putting out a positive message for the next generation. Boooooooooya trueschool new yorkers baby #5pointz4ever

THANK YOU NY! #tooflynyc / @Toofly_NYC

@RudaFest in Bogota, Colombia last week was DOOOOOPE! I am very proud of my friend Ledania and Gerardo for teaming up to make this happen. Together with a tight team they put together a very well organized weekend event. The collaboration was on point. Dope location, dope hotel, dope artists, dope place to eat ( Canasto Bistro )  and great place to kick back and enjoy art and drinks LIVE! For community of all ages to enjoy. Various artists participated in this event Eelco from Holland – hella cool dude, Ben Johnston from Canada who made me laugh a ton!, Muretz from Brazil and his ill tattoos and many more like Type of Tape which I really digged’. This was my first time in Bogota which reminded of Quito, Ecuador. Mountains, historic city, modern shops, as well as parts of a nightlife city. Bogota has a ton of graffiti too – more so than I have ever seen anywhere else which is why I think they call it the mecca of graff in Latin America. I saw works on the streets by friends like Guache, Stinkfish, and Skore999. Overall event and my stay was awesome. I wish I could of have squeezed in another wall or two next time! Special shout out to the RudaFest team for the invitation and hospitality. I had a great time painting, and working closely with the staff who helped us on the lyfts, the projections, materials, and transport. Met some great people too that I plan to stay in touch with. Our international arts & culture community keeps growing and our travelz helps to bring us together as a arts family. Thank you COLOMBIA!

In case you missed it! — The “Presence” exhibition curated by @artbygiawill showcase from July 24-Aug 18th @artspaceps109 @hiartsnyc gallery Hours Tues-Fri 12-5PM / 215 East 99st. 6 Train to 96st. Collect, appreciate, and enjoy the women contemporary artists of today!

Longest trip in NY this summer! Glad it’s over. Fun, work, and play for a month and a 1/2 was long, but the mission was acomplished. Got a lot of stuff done, and had enough time to catch up with my family and friends. Wellingcourt this year was nice, no rain! I usually get rain dates but the weather was perfect. I enjoyed the piece I worked on and the day in total. Especially when hanging with the @StreetHeroines team and my boo. “Freedom Dreamer” from the Love Warrior series is one of my favorite designs. It needed a bit of more work but was unable to make it back in time to add more details. Overall she’s FLY! especially next to @Sinned_NYC

Photo by Joe Conzo 2018

Thank You NY!

Back from Austin, TX! What a lovely place it is haven’t been back since 2012. It was super nice to see my friends again especially to take advantage of the trip and create a NEW Mama Sana Mural. There’s a bunch of press online about it, you can read. It’s a pretty interesting story that talks about gentrification, and the power of community.

The TYO X TOOFLY collectible this year released at Designer Con was a nice surprise to a community of folks who love the Toofly goodz. Shout out to Phil who worked on 30 exclusive limited pieces. Small enough to fit in your palm of your hand! I love small items. Happy with the way it came out:) A few are now available on the TOOFLY SHOP!

Sometimes my travels are not all filled with fun. There are important matters to take care of and I make the effort just the same. I testified last week and did my best. I can not talk about the case at this time but I do want to mention that we are standing for what we believe in. You can follow the news articles online for some insight into the case. We’re making history. Shout out to friends and artists who stand for the culture that raised us and we believe in.

qz.com

www.nytimes.com/2017

www.nydailynews.com

#Justicefor5Pointz