Video by John Atomos
As a 16-year-old teen, I remember walking into a youth recreation center on the west side of San Jose which sported a fresh, colorful Aztec inspired mural. The mural spoke to me: inside this place, there are some awesome things happening. Inside of the building, there was a young man with slick hair and only an inch taller than myself, so I knew he was cool. His name was Sam Rodriguez; he had a rep around town as being a dope graffiti artist.
We didn’t talk about graffiti much; he talked to us as artists and showed myself and the rest of the youth the building blocks of being an artist. Not only about color and design, but also why it is important that your work speaks to something. I was inspired by him and others at the rec center to become an artist.
Sixteen years later I still live in San Jose, and I still make my living as an artist/designer. Sam is also still busy bringing fresh, colorful murals to dull walls around San Jose –capturing and archiving the history and people of San Jose.
His latest work brought color to a laundry mat similar to one I spent my youth hanging out in. The mural stands on the corner of eight and Empire on the northside of San Jose.
Empire Seven and Sam Rodriguez collaborated on this mural with the help of the community, and it will now stand as a marker in an area in the path of gentrification.
In a building that is a victim to said gentrification, Empire Seven Studios hosted an art show for the official mural unveiling and an artist talk. .
The show included over 30 super rad works by Sam and a whole lot of fresh and diverse set of people. Young, old, and almost every nationality was in attendance. The energy in the space was high that night; it was peaceful yet full of life and movement. Sam sees his work as journalism of the times, and even though spaces like Empire Seven are rare and disappearing, nights like these last forever.
photo by @keptabsorbed
Contact Empire Seven for more information, you can see this exhibit until August 31st.
View more of Sam Rodriguez's work at: samrodriguezart.com
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Sam Rodriguez Opens Creative Dialogue Between SF & San Jose With New Show
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