Exhibited Internationally, Carlos Rodriguez (also known as “Mare 139″) is a New York based artist born in 1965 in Spanish Harlem, New York City. He is best known as the subway graffiti writer Mare 139 and has since adapted the graffiti lettering styles to metal sculpture in the fine art context.
As a member of the golden age of subway graffiti (1975–1985), Carlos painted under the moniker “Mare” which is short for “Nightmare”. He wrote alongside many of the style masters of his generation. This tutelage, along with his interest in modernizing the art form led to his involvement with contemporary art as a vehicle to re-interpret the concepts and aesthetic of style writing.
As a sculptor, Carlos Mare139 Rodriguez’s breakthrough was with the metal “K” sculpture in 1985. This led to a series of large-scale sculptures that were true to graffiti lettering format, but peeled and folded into space.
Website: www.m139design.com
Blog: www.12ozprophet.com