Cortes NYC is back at the studio painting on an extra large scale. His latest piece "5Pointz Court Case: Testify" is a 5" X 7" oil painting on canvas. The opportunity came up to participate in an art exhibit with the theme of Vulnerable Me. He decided to recreate the experience testifying for the 5Pointz Case back in 2017. As a graffiti artist, it was an intimidating experience to explain to a judge and jury why graffiti art should be protected by VARA law. Every artist in this trial had to present evidence to prove that their art had achieved "recognized stature". This meant that their private lives and their art career/history would be cross examined under legal terms. For Cortes it was important to confront this challenge and defend his rights as a visual artist.
His piece depicts a surreal image of a courtroom blending with some of the 5pointz imagery and original pieces that were destroyed during the whitewash. It shows an uninterested jury, Judge Block listening intently and a self portrait of the artist rising in stature. The large scale of this piece and the self portrait element was a challenge to paint but the final product was worth it to document this big moment in Cortes' career.
"5Pointz Court Case: Testify" will be a part of soiree henzo: Vulnerable Me art show. Happening Thursday, November 16th from 6pm to 1am at Lavan Chelsea, NYC. Tickets are free but RSVP is required for entry. See you there!
