28 Oct Juan Muniz: I’m Not OK
November 6 – 25, 2020
Previewing Now: M-F 12-6PM
Artist Reception: Sunday, November 8th, 12-6PM*
Tickets via Eventbrite.
Last Summer, Juan Muniz launched a Gofund Me campaign for “I’m Not Ok,” a book that utilizes his famous Ninobuni creations to help fight the stigma and taboo that is constantly encountered with mental health and mental illness.
In any given year, approximately every 1 in 5 adults in the US experience a mental illness, and suicide is the second leading cause of death between the ages of 10-24. Muniz has always utilized his signature character Felipe (a cute but anxious, pastel bunny) as an ambassador of mental health awareness, but with this latest project he has created a forum for kids and their parents to begin a conversation without apprehension. “I believe that one of the most important ways to battle mental illness is speaking up,” Juan Muniz says.
”As a person who suffers from depression and anxiety, I created a book that focuses on starting the conversation to help fight the stigma and taboo that is constantly encountered, “ he added.
The book, I’m Not Ok allows us to realize that we are not alone in our thoughts. “These illustrations helped me as I created them because they are based on the emotions I feel and go through on a daily basis.” Juan says, “Hopefully these pieces of art and the accompanying text can reach those who feel lost, and be as therapeutic for them as this process has been for me.”
Juan’s previous work has been featured and highlighted in the Las Vegas Weekly, E-volved Magazine, the LA Weekly, and his murals can be seen throughout Las Vegas, and were part of the launch of the opulent Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino.
This is the first gallery exhibition of the works included and inspired by the book, and the artist will attend a one-day-only reception on Sunday, November 8th. Reserve your tickets on Eventbrite.
ABOUT THE WORK
The process utilized in the creation of these paintings is a culmination of Juan Muniz‘s experience as a muralist, graffiti artist, and tattooist, and the steps within that process bear a similarity to modern animation–to which Juan’s graphic pop style is beholden. He starts with a series of illustrations, which serve as the template for the finished piece. He then produces a series of digital backgrounds which are printed directly to canvas. He cuts a ghost stencil which is generally spray-painted in white or grey, which is used as stroke outline in back of his acrylic line work of the ninobuni characters in the painting. Juan then goes back and textures objects and key elements of both the background and foreground–shading with an airbrush, and detailing with a traditional brush. This multi-discipline approach produces a unique painting that benefits from a separation of otherwise flat layers that give depth and accent to analog works with a digital feel.
Here’s a time-lapse video of his process:
Call or email the gallery for purchase info:
(323)547-3227 or info@gallery30south.com