Thursday, September 15th 2011, 4:00 AM
Richard Harbus for News
TATS CRU artist Hector (Nicer) Nazario was inspired to make art about the innocence of childhood after his 22-year-old son was shot to death last year.He recalled playing freeze tag, using his imagination to transform bricks from abandoned buildings into toy cars, watching his sister sing into her hairbrush like it was a microphone.
After his only son was killed by a stray bullet last summer, legendary TATS CRU artist Hector(Nicer) Nazario began reflecting on his own childhood.
These memories of city life inspired the new art show "Like a Child at Play" opening today at The Aurora Gallery in Astoria.
"I wanted bring people back to that childhood innocence even if it's just for a quick second," Nazario, 44, said, as he spraypainted the finishing touches on a canvas of a doe-eyed boy riding a Big Wheel tricycle at his studio in Hunts Point, the Bronx, where he grew up.
He thinks young people today are becoming increasingly introverted.
"The generation that came up behind us don't have that street play," Nazario lamented. "They've lost that atmosphere of coming together to enjoy themselves.
"When my son got murdered," he continued, "I couldn't help think that if he would have had that game play and the things I had growing up, things might be different."
His son, Bleu Nazario, was killed on July 11, 2010, at a barbecue at the Pelham Parkway Houses. A fight broke out, a dozen shots rang out, and the 22-year old died at the scene.
No one has been arrested.
Nazario and TATS CRU graffiti artists gained fame for painting hundreds of murals throughout the city honoring the victims of street violence in the 1990s.
He said shortly after his son was killed that he would not spraypaint a wall for Bleu.
In the year since, Nazario turned to counseling and the support of family and friends to cope with his loss. His art, however, proved most therapeutic.
"I needed something to keep my mind busy, and painting was my therapy," he said. "If I didn't have that, who knows. I would have all the time in the world to have negative thoughts."
For Nazario, "Like a Child at Play" has become one way to honor the memory of his son.
"He was such a big part of my painting life. I used to bring him to [memorial] walls in a carriage," Nazario said.
"If I were to stop and fall into a deep depression, it would do him an injustice. I'm pretty sure this is what he wants me to do."
"Like a Child at Play" features 17 original pieces, drawing from Nazario's favorite childhood memories.
"Pirate Fantasy" shows a grinning boy in a newspaper pirate hat, triumphantly holding a cardboard sword. "Sculsey" depicts two boys engrossed in the ertswhile popular street game.
Gallery owner Eli Rios is hoping the show also inspires. There will be stations where children can play the old-school games.
"I wanted [the series] to be a playful reminder of what growing up in New York City was like in the '70s and '80s," Nazario said. "I want people to remember being a kid, having that kind of fun and all the values attached to it."
"Like a Child at Play" opens tonight, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., at The Aurora Gallery, 35-18 37th St., second floor, in Astoria, and runs through Saturday.
Admission is free. All the artwork is for sale.
For more information, visit www.theauroragallery.com or call (347) 288-6870.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment