Today we’d like to introduce you to Franky Cruz.
Franky, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in the Dominican Republic, I arrived in Miami thanks to my hard-working immigrant parents when I was months old, Hialeah to be exact. I’ve been a creative and actively curious child my whole life but it was graffiti that lead me back to the spirit of art and creation. I graduated from New World School of the Arts in Miami with a Bfa in painting. I have in my recent work gravitated away from traditional forms of painting and mural making into a process that takes from native species conservation techniques to collaborate with one of natures majestic winged insects with a project that I call Vivarium Meconium Laboratory which is a butterfly painting lab that raises the larva from egg thru its metamorphosis process and collects the umber, ochre, magenta and iridescent secretions of emerging Monarch and Florida native butterflies onto watercolor paper to create a series of paintings.
The piece that is currently active is a 40 x 60-inch diptych collecting the secretions of 420 butterflies, seven different native species to make these two paintings. Vivarium Meconium Laboratory serves as an ecological and artistic practice that connects and creates pollinator gardens in and around the south Florida area. The public is invited to come see the process learn about pollinators, gardens and possibly release some butterflies at my studio in Little Haiti.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are no smooth roads only barefoot trails with logs, mud, stones and venomous snakes that cross the path but one must kill the snake, let it pass or vibrate with such energy that one can handle the snake off the trail and move on into the paradise of curiosity.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Vivarium Meconium Laboratory – what should we know?
I was recently in a Fair titled FREE at Brickell City Centre with Vivarium Meconium Laboratory (VML 2018) third activation that continues at my studio and was made possible by the Ellie grant by the ART center of South Florida , MoCA in North Miami (VML 2018) also exhibited the installation and performance Vivarium Meconium at Locust Projects (2017) participated in numerous artist residencies including in the Artists in Residence in the Everglades (AIRIE) (2015). My practice has to lead me from painting murals with spray paint and collaborating with muralists and graffiti writers to painting on canvas in the studio to installation and now recently to collaborating with, cycles in the flow of water, found (human-made and organic) objects, and is currently collaborating with the Monarch and other native species of butterflies, raising the winged insects with the purpose of exploring new methods of painting by collecting their Meconium (Emergence Secretions) onto watercolor paper.
Vivarium Meconium Laboratory is the new brand and project that serves as an ecological and artistic practice that connects and creates pollinator gardens in and around the south Florida area.
I’m just a human with superhuman love working on superhuman creativity and sharing with all of you superhumans.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Every air molecule, water droplet every bee and butterfly, the ibis, angina every baby gator in this magnificent environment. A special shout out to every museum and gallery that I have worked with, ICA, MOca, Primary Projects, Emerson Dorsch gallery, and especially Spinello Projects who has supported me and continues to work with me to make these visions a reality.
Thank you to our local artist residencies, Artist in residency in the Everglades ,and fountainhead residency, and to every art collector, and patron because without funding this lab would be nothing so lets not forget Locust Projects, the Wave Maker grant ,the Knight Foundation and the art center of South Florida with the Ellie grant. Thank you. The Center for Sub tropical Affairs for providing mushrooms and a beautiful gardens for the community to learn and grow with the plants that make it, Houston cypress and Love the Everglades Foundation for opening portals into the Everglades, teaching that miracles abound and we are the water in the sky and in the ground.
Contact Info:
- Website: frankycruz.com
- Email: dissectedcruz@gmail.com
- Instagram: @toolooselautrec
Image Credit:
Photo by Carl Timpone, of me in greenhouse Lab where 200 caterpillars where raised.
Photo of me suspending monarch chrysalis in my studio by diana larrea @parcialmentenublada
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