into the hustling heart of New York’s ‘90s underground

URBN ARTFCT / 0009 / Chris Maestas / U.S.

American Artist/Designer Chris Maestas (b. 1984) has been deeply immersed in the urban environ- ment of Los Angeles since his days as a graffiti writer and skateboarder in the 1990s. His work spans various mediums, including acrylic, oil-based enamel, spray paint, 3D and digital art: most recent- ly focusing on generative Al processes to explore new avenues of creativity.

Inspired by the beauty of graffiti art and 90s street culture, Chris’s Al artworks often depict city scenes of disruptive and rebellious energy reminiscent of punk and avant-garde movements, adapted to the digital age.

His artwork has been exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, and Europe.

urbn artfct delves into the hustling heart of New York’s ‘90s underground, offering a visual homage to the epicenter of a decade that reshaped urban culture for the entire world. This series explores the artifacts and narratives that defined street life, capturing the ceaseless motion and resilience of New York. Through contemporary reinterpretations of era-defining relics-coats worn by time, sneakers hanging from power lines, and payphones adorned with graffiti tales in graffiti-viewers are invited to immerse themselves in the street culture of the era, seeing each urban detail as a visual representation of self-expression and survival.

These symbols, once hidden markers of the city’s underground pulse and territorial claims, now

stand as crucial chapters in New York’s evolving story, showcasing the creativity and ingenuity born from street culture’s challenges. Beyond simple nostalgia, urb artfct taps into the iconography of ‘90s street life, embodying the counterculture that challenged and transformed urban aesthetics. Growing up on the West Coast, the artist, 0009, was captivated by New York’s ‘90s culture, drawn to its vibrant hip-hop, expressive graffiti, and the raw hustle of street life. Influenced by the vivid imagery found in magazines and the lyrical storytelling of hip-hop, these elements are woven into the collec- tion, presenting a nuanced reflection that places hustle and resilience at the core of ‘90s New York identity.

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