Tampa Bay Fresh Fest is coming up, and I’m going to be honest — I’m learning a lot about hip-hop culture from this. For instance, I just learned that there are artists like me, typing away on their Cheeto dust-covered keyboards late at night. And then there are artists like Chicago’s NERD, whose pencil is a spray can and paper is the side of a train car.
NERD is one of many street artists coming to town for Tampa’s brand-new mural festival. It seems they are announcing a new festival participant every day now on the festival’s official Instagram page @tampabay_fresh_fest.
Things are looking more graffiti-heavy than St. Pete’s SHINE festival. While the work of SHINE artists often graces gallery walls, the work of some Fresh Fest artists is more likely to be seen on the side of a subway. The contrast has been enough to spark some controversy and social media scuffs online as to where work like this belongs. Truth be told, the line between graffiti and street art is pretty blurry.
“Some of these guys that do very basic graffiti are selling canvases of very basic graffiti for quite a bit of money,” says festival co-organizer Eric Hornsby. “It’s a viable art form. And I see it getting lost, especially in our area. In New York — there’s no controversy there. There still is a bit, but people understand it, by and large. But here, people don’t know… I’ll be doing a street art thing, and they’re like, ‘That’s good graffiti. Oh I don’t know. Is that the wrong word for it?’ I’ve always used the terms interchangeably.
“I’ve always considered myself a graffiti artist. Now, with the modern vocabulary… they’re starting to really diverge. I’m making an effort to try to make that not happen. I want people to see traditional graffiti, which is very modern, like people writing letters and stuff. It’s not really traditional anymore, at this point. It’s very far out from where it started, and it’s a beautiful art form. It’s an amazing style of calligraphy that I think — and a lot of people do — that it’s just as viable an art form as portraits. I don’t want to lose that. I really want people to see that it’s technically difficult to produce.”
The painting began on February 8 and continues through Feb. 17. The “main event,” says Hornsby, is the block party at Robertson Billiards this Saturday, Feb. 16. They’ll have live painting, a DJ, hip-hop acts, and a B Boy battle (that’s breakdancing). At last count, there are 11 artists painting at Robertson Billiards, including the legendary Sake One. Sake One is “like the embodiment of hip-hop culture, from the era of breakdancing, graffiti, DJing,” Hornsby tells me.
Many of the artists at Robertson Billiards are collaborating on their murals. Collaborative walls are called productions, burners, or blockbusters in hip-hop culture. Richie Brasil and Zeros are collaborating on a production on the Florida Avenue side, in the back parking lot. Richie Brasil, Hornsby tells me, is “well-known as one of the best graffiti/street artists, period.” Wie and Ric 1, members of the legendary Bronx Team, are collaborating with Reda on another Robertsons’ wall.
There will be just as many artists painting at Fresh Fest’s second location, Southeastern Seating. The welding company has a huge wall — large enough to accommodate a dozen artists doing individual murals and an 80-90-foot production. Festival co-organizer, Mark Stevens, aka Aurailieus Artist, will paint here, along with many more Tampa Bay muralists, including Brand Fury One. Fresh Fest organizers encourage people to come meet and greet the artists here before heading over to the festival’s third location, Southern Brewing & Winery.
Hornsby refers to Southern Brewing as “the big art piece,” with several artist collaborating on a large mural. Look for Tampa husband and wife duo, Lulu and Indy Rock, painting together here.
As for Hornsby? He’ll be painting a wall over at Muay Thai on Franklin.
After dark, the party moves over to Inkwood Books, who is hosting the official Fresh Fest Art Show and artist talks.
So, go on… get Fresh.
Get Fresh
Before you go, check out the full list of artists and locations below to see who is painting where, and where to find the after-party. Art starts at 11 a.m.
War Artifax, Michael Vahl, Dustin Spagnola, Nerd, Sake One, Zeros, Ric 1, Reda, Wie, Cassy Moll, Noir Robertson Billiards, 1721 N. Franklin St., Tampa. 813-229-2778, robertsonbilliards.com.
Eric Karbeling, Starve, CapCo, Nuclear Sky, Aurailieus, Painkiller Cam, Suarez, Michael Fait, Chandley Fantastic, Zulupainter 1, Sebastian Coolidge, Dillon Endico & Brand Fury One Southeastern Seating, 903 E. 17th Ave., Tampa. 800-248-2099, seseating.com.
Artysta Lulu, Indy Rock, Nerve, Caster, Lo Resolution, Humbul, Wicked, OZ, Hiero, Scotty Briggs, Guido Montenegro, Realms, Kosharek, No. elleum, Derek Donnelly, Rebecca Flores, ESH Southern Brewing & Winery, 4500 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa. 813-238-7800, southernbrewingwinemaking.com.
Eric Hornsby Muay Thai, 1622 N. Franklin St., Tampa. 813-321-8669, tampamuaythai.com/kmt.
Fresh: The Official Art Show of Tampa Bay Fresh Fest Inkwood Books, 1809 N. Tampa St., Tampa. 7 p.m.-11 p.m. 813-221-2665, inkwoodbooks.com.
This article appears in Feb 14-21, 2019.