Street art has been a part of El Paso culture for quite some time now—spanning a few decades with artists such as Dave “Grave” amongst others pioneering the movement locally. Picking up where these great artists left off, EXIST1981 has taken street art to the next level with his style and skill. His ability to network and connect with local business owners has helped make street art palatable and fashionable. You’ve probably seen his work on buildings in downtown El Paso as well as the newly developed Montecillo area in West El Paso. He is responsible for curating the live art at the annual Neon Desert Music Festival. We recently had a conversation with EXIST about how he started off and what he’s currently up to.
Can you tell us a little bit about you? Where are you from?
I was born and raised in El Paso Texas. I moved to San Diego in 2000. I am a multimedia artist specializing in large scale murals. I am also cofounder of the Cohort Collective based in San Diego and curator for PDA Gallery in Downtown El Paso. For the past 6 years I’ve been responsible for the art installations at the Neon Desert Music Festival.
I notice you remain anonymous, never showing your face nor revealing who you are, what is your reasoning behind this?
The art is not about me.
How did you get into art? Who or what told you to pursue this?
Growing up, I liked to draw and create. My parents, who are also creative, were very supportive, not of the graffiti, but of my paintings. I knew as a kid it was something I could do forever, when I was totally content to spend hours drawing til my hand hurt. Inspiration has come from various people, places and music over the years.
When did you start taking art to the streets and how?
I started doing stickers in [the year] 2000, before that was crude tags in ditches and tunnels. Stickers lead to posters, and posters lead to murals. The goal was to always go bigger.
Have you ever been caught by authorities or property owners for spray painting or tagging a building? If yes, can you elaborate on that?
Yes. No.
What forms or style of art do you specialize in?
I enjoy creating many forms of art: fine art, street art, painting, graphic design, screen printing, murals, making music, photography. For the past few years my focus has been fine art and large scale murals.
You are responsible for a lot of street art and/or murals we see today around El Paso, can you share your thoughts with us about that?
I am involved with the Montecillo development and bringing artists to paint there. I’ve started a mural program called Murals of Montecillo, and I am focused on bringing internationally known and local artists to share their vision. It has definitely made the community even more interesting and progressive. The last murals I painted in El Paso are at Born & Raised off Zaragoza, and at the new Aloft Hotel in downtown.
What significant murals or installations are you most proud of?
My mural in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego. It is a large 25ft tall colorful mandala wrapping the corner of Robinson and University. I’m also very proud of the Fintan Magee mural in Montecillo that I facilitated. He is an internationally known artist from Australia. The mural he painted in El Paso, “Two Worlds” was on the cover of Juxtapoz magazine.
Tell us a little bit about PDA, what is it? What can people find there? What do you wish to accomplish with it?
PDA is my gallery and retail space. We carry cool merchandise like shirts/hats/hoodies/prints and skate decks. I plan to start hosting art shows there this summer. My studio is in the back. PDA is my ‘Public Display of Affection’ for El Paso and the goal is to support and push the local art scene.
Where can people find your art?
PDA – 114B Mills Ave. & EXIST1981.COM
