I was fortunate to visit the beautiful Wynwood Walls, an art district in Miami, Florida. Before visiting the art district, I tried to get some more information on the gallery and what it had to offer to its visitors. I leant that Wynwood was a warehouse area at one time and full of dilapidated buildings (Wynwood Walls 2016). However, it is today a magnet for artists, who display their large sized works and lure Miami locals and visitors alike. It is just a couple of minutes away from downtown Miami and boasts of offering some of the most stunning pieces of art in the district.
On the decided day and time, I headed towards the Wynwood Walls art district along with my friends. We came across some hotspot neighborhoods on the way such as the Design District and Midtown. We could spot some huge and colorful outdoor murals from afar. We parked the car nearby and decided to explore the area on foot. The idea was to not to miss out on any of those interesting art pieces. We came across several graffiti artists crouched down in some corners or working on a rooftop or a wall, finishing their work or giving the final touch of their brushes. We learnt that these artists have six main buildings to display their works. The artists come back either to create new artworks or to renew their older pieces of art. A sign read “Wynwood Walls” and we knew that we had arrived. We walked on the paved sidewalks that led us straight towards the graffiti-covered walls. We came across works of well-known artists at the Wynwood Walls. The pedestrian friendly art district extended to several side streets and corners. The atmosphere in the art district was fun, welcoming and cheerful. The crowd was young, creative and appreciative. It was hard to ignore them or not to become one like them. Needless to say, we were enjoying every moment there and loved looking at so many different creations and work of art. The best part was that we could grab something to eat from one of those local food trucks parked nearby.
Just nearby, we made a tour of some galleries, where I came across this fascinating work by the artist Peter Tunney. I got particularly interested in a work titled “Warhol Cigarettes”. The artist is known to amass a wealth of experience, and those valuable experiences have developed him into an amazing and unique artist. It shows in his work and his skill of shaping meaningful messages from a negative space with an assembly of words and collages (Peter Tunney 2016). Peter Tunney
Peter’s life-changing experience came when he was hit by a car as a child. The bad injuries forced him to spent most of his time in and out of the hospital. However, Tunney takes the accident in his life positively and acknowledges that it has taught him to seize the day, and it is every moment and convert it to something precious. He and his work teach one to be grateful while he taught himself magic. Gradually he searched his means of expression and personal style and focused on his own art world. As his art is meaningful and comes straight from the soul, it is much appreciated, and there are always buyers (Pinck 2016). According to the artist, his mind is overflowing with ideas and it is the happiness within that allows him to be creative. He is grateful and lives in NY with his family, and is fully engaged in a busy life today. He believes that it is the ability to get through the sufferings that make one stronger. Moreover, who could be a better example than he? He has risen and shown that there is hope after all.
“Warhol Cigarettes (Get Banksy)”, 2015
“Warhol Cigarettes” by Peter Tunney is a Chromogenic print of collaged huge polaroid that is hand painted features a manipulated cigarette pack. The collage measures 80 x 50 inches and is signed on verso by the artist (Warhol Cigarettes (Get Banksy) 2016). The cigarette pack was found on Franklin Street and is signed by the artist on verso.
This is another of a compelling original work by Peter Tunney. It is a collage work based on a cigarette pack. The cigarette pack is in red and white color and looks old and worn out. It is placed at a slightly tilted angle on the collage base. The edges and corners of the cigarette pack are frayed and slightly tattered. The top cover is lifted and reveals the tips of cigarettes inside that are placed at an angle. The edges of the cover are torn and frayed. One can see the red paper chipping off and revealing the white base underneath. The triangular part of the design in white seems accurate, and one can see the words” Filter cigarettes” written in red over white shape clearly.
The artist makes use of the famous Marlboro Red cigarette pack which is obvious by the words written in black on the right side of the pack, and the characteristic red and white color. The two horses on the Marlboro, with their hind legs on the motto banner and the front legs on the red oval, cannot be missed.
Tunney has cut out the letters of Warhol into four parts such as “W”, “ar”, “ho” and” l” and placed them on the lower side of the pack. The letters are placed side by side and yet look separate, but, they can be easily read together as “Warhol.” The base of their thick paper makes deep shadows on the white base of the cigarette pack. Each letter is cut according to the area they cover, and the alphabets have been fixed carefully and in a straight line, so as to make their alignment simple and straight. The artist has cut them carefully along the edges and in rectangular shapes. It is essential to note that while the cigarette pack is tilted slightly, the “Warhol” letters do not align with the edge of the box perfectly and are placed at a slight angle.
Below the words” Warhol” is written” 20 class cigarettes”. The number “2” can be hardly read and is damaged by the frayed edges of the cigarette pack. A red bar is present just below the words but is damaged on the left-hand side completely.
One can hardly read out what is written on the left side flap of the cigarette case because of the limited view and damaged sides. On the right side of the flap, one can make out the letters” Marlboro” partly and the barcode. However, the sides are twisted and damaged, and it’s hard to make out the complete words and numbers. The left side makes a more twisted side with the front of the pack.
Coming to the lower end of the cigarette pack, the lower flap is partly visible, again because of the limited view and damage. One can see the top of the white triangle on the red base. The letters” Marlboro” is written on the lower flap, but because of the restricted view, one can only make out the top of the letter” l” and “b”.
On first look at “Warhol Cigarettes”, one gets drawn by the tattered red and white pack of cigarettes from a famous brand. The viewer is forced to wonder as to why those letters” Warhol” are placed there and why as a collage. The top and left side of the pack are more damaged as compared to the other sides. However, the two cigarettes that can be seen because of the partly lifted flap seem to be in good condition and not damaged. In some areas, the white of the case is smudged, frayed and torn, thus giving a very dilapidated look to the artwork.
The “Warhol Cigarettes” are placed on a large format and embellished with collage and acrylic. There are several letters, words, and images around the central image of the pack of cigarettes. The look resembles the front page of a magazine. The artist has signed his name in scraffito or a decorative mural on the lower center. There are pictures and words used that have no connections, and still they seem to be in harmony. There is more work done on the lower end as compared to the top, but it is the central image of the “Warhol Cigarettes” that draws the attention. The artist has purposely used a darker background so as make the words, images, and graphics to show clearly and contrastingly. The artist makes use of bold and capitalized letter works, in order to send powerful messages. The font color is white as the background is in black. Moreover, where he makes use of black font, he places a white background.
The Neo-Pop artist, Peter Tunney likes working with language and text. His large-scale works are based on collaged packing materials and newspapers and popular media sources to create positive maxims (Peter Tunney (American) 2016). Tunney is known to be a dedicated explorer of cultural lexicon and assemble collages with nearly every medium that can be used as the visual art language, such as wood, photography, language: paint, found an object, printed material and more (Peter Tunney 2016). Here in the above example, he makes use of printed material, words and found an object to convey what he wants to. He is a performance artist and brings art and life to everything he sees or comes across.
In “Warhol Cigarettes,” he captures and collects print, letters, and colors in the artwork that has been created painstakingly and meticulously. Once again he proves that art that resides in all things. The artist carries his own unique perspective and is able to mine images, magazines, and newspapers to create a colorful and refreshing phrase or object. In doing so, he makes the view connect to everyday life and objects around him. He sees the possibility of magic in everything and makes one realize that anything is possible.
“Warhol Cigarettes” is yet another example of his work and how he thinks before creating something out of nothing. He explores with every possible medium to achieve the right results, and this is seen in the unique experience of his fine art. He makes use of positive text and graphic elements, thus giving new meanings to ordinary work. His work is inspired by his thoughts and shows his words in the collage imagery from a wide variety of sources, which could be photographs, newspapers or painting reproductions.
His artwork “Warhol Cigarettes” certainly makes you pause and mull over the subject. The work is a good example of how the artist mixed different varieties in media and created colorfully done collages making a subtle attack on the culture. The artist certainly likes to make his own headlines in the media with the use of powerful images and words. The simple and yet intricate collage technique keeps one mesmerized. After all, the simple and direct message of about all the possibilities can be uplifting. The artwork shows how the artist is focused and likes to offer every detail in his work. He can skew and work with any words, letters and use them for his artwork . The artist has used literally thousands of images and the bright-eyed sloganeering are now his trademarks. There is a story and focus in each of his work. Those letters, words, and phrases make one go through them over and over again.
The New York-based mixed media artist believes in constant performance and those optimistic phrases printed over collaged newspaper headlines seem to overpower the media. He creates his own headlines to push away the death, destruction and hysteria generated by the media today. He overpowers the media whimsically with his text-based works, with a purpose to text-based works to change the way one views the world around. Those colorful headlines and innovative graphics prompt the viewers to react positively.
It was a great day at Wynwood Walls, and I came back feeling much wiser and knowledgeable. There was so much to see and learn. It was a very interesting tour, and I highly recommend the area to any art lover.
Works Cited
"Peter Tunney." petertunney. 2016. Web. 6 April. 2016.
"Peter Tunney (American)." artnet. 2016. Web. 6 April. 2016.
Pinck, Diana. "The Entreprepreneurs and Professionals Network."epnofny. 2016. Web. 6 April. 2016.
"Wynwood Walls." miamiandbeaches. 2016. Web. 6 April. 2016.
"Warhol Cigarettes (Get Banksy), 2015." artsy. 2016. Web. 6 April. 2016
