OUR NATIVE MUSE
AKIVA LISTMAN AL RUIZ BELOWKEY
CHRISRWK DANIELLE MASTRION HUGUS
JOSHUA REYNOLDS SACSIX WILL POWER
OUR NATIVE MUSE celebrates the fertile ephemera that fuels New York's artistic soul. Our city’s majesty is captured in its towering skyscrapers, historic bridges, and iconic landmarks. These elements symbolize ambition, resilience, and connectivity, providing artists with a backdrop of grandeur against which human stories unfold. However, it is also in the mundane—street signs, vintage subway tokens and sticker-covered mailboxes—that the city's true heartbeat is felt. These everyday artifacts, often overlooked, carry the whispers of countless lives and moments, offering a rich and personal emotional history for artists to draw upon.
This exhibit holds insights into a rare and beatific New York, where the monumental and the mundane intertwine to reveal a city that is both muse and masterpiece.
CURATED BY JOSHUA CICERONE & PAOLO TOLENTINO
AKIVA LISTMAN
The beautifully rendered street objects in Akiva Listman's paintings provide a sense of comfort and continuity within the chaos of New York's ever-bustling streets. His brushwork brings out the hidden charm in the mundane, capturing details and textures so vividly that they seem to organize the city's chaos into a harmonious composition.
Akiva Listman is a Manhattan-based artist whose work focuses on the shared experience in New York City. He uses painting to distill the City to an essential beauty found in neglected urban phenomena.
LEFT TO RIGHT: "Someone's Got To Clean This Up" / "What's Going On" / "Tight Knit" / "27/7/99" - Acrylic on Canvas | 18" x 24"
AL RUIZ
Queens native Al Ruiz is a classically trained painter with a keen interest in portraiture, bold color, and graphic design elements. She “attacks" her pieces in a chaotic but controlled style, emphasizing the human condition and its detailed nuances.
Mama Cax (1989-2019) was a Haitian American model and disability rights activist from Brooklyn. She was only a teen when she learned she had bone and lung cancer that would eventually require amputation of her right leg. She continued to strut the catwalk with a prosthetic leg, becoming a powerful symbol of body positivity. "I just feel her courage, her strength and her intensity," says painter Al Ruiz, who was moved to create this portrait.
“Seasonal Selfies”Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas, 24” x 30”“Mama Cax Tribute”Acrylic on Canvas, 20” x 30”
BELOWKEY
For a decade and a half, his OG Monkey character has weaved its way into the everyday subconsciousness of a certain breed of New Yorker. During that time, as the Monkey evolved and iterated, its creator - known only as Belowkey - has turned himself into a titan of underground industry, creating a never-ending flow of art collectibles including paintings, miniatures, figurines, keychains, dishware, clothing and more.
These colorful ink originals take us back to our roots - hand drawing on paper to fulfill some primal urge. Filled with signature characters, tags and slogans, city skylines and imaginary landscapes, you can stare at these Belowkey drawings for days.
"Now And Forever" Ink on Paper 11”x14” "Life Is Short, Art Is Long" Ink on Paper 11”x14”
CHRISRWK
The iconic robot at the center of ChrisRWK's work can be found in stickers, murals, wheat pastes and galleries all over the world - like a friendly face in an unfamiliar place. His vibrant mixed media paintings--often textured with clever messages and hidden meanings--draw from cartoons, comic books, and his own tenure as a graffiti artist. Despite the playfully menacing moniker (RWK= Robots Will Kill), his work radiates love. Spotting ChrisRWK's ubiquitous robot in the world brings a warm sense of connection that makes you feel right at home, no matter where you are.
"Speaking in the past with golden voices" is the first artwork by ChrisRWK to be shown at Arty Goodness. The canvas is lovingly textured; the gold leaf robot gives off a warm reflective shine.
"Speaking in the past with golden voices"Acrylic & Gold Leaf on Canvas, 12" x 12"
DANIELLE
MASTRION
Danielle Mastrion, a Brooklyn-born painter and muralist, has been transforming walls both locally and globally since 2012. Known for her vibrant murals in places like New York's historic 5POINTZ and Coney Island, as well as international festivals from Mexico to the UK, Danielle's work is a celebration of urban culture and social justice. Her pieces often highlight women's rights, youth education, and conservation, earning her roles as a cultural ambassador and teaching artist with Next Level USA. Danielle’s art, featured in prominent projects and recognized by the White House, continues to connect communities and inspire change through its powerful, inclusive messages.
"The Apollo"Aerosol & Acrylic on Canvas, 20” x 30”
HUGUS
Hugus is a skilled graffiti artist, muralist, graphic designer and fine artist from New York City and Monañita, Ecuador. His stylistic versatility spans comic-inspired realism, pop art character design, high concept mixed media and beyond.
"No Standing" and "Bomb Wasa" by Hugus feature hand-painted cartoon characters on actual aluminum New York City street signs. The mixed media "No Parking" features related characters and a flaming police cruiser painted over real currency and actual NYC parking tickets. Together, the works provide a clever commentary on vandalism, vigilante-ism and the ascendency of street art. On display and available for purchase.
JOSHUA REYNOLDS
aka V-TECH VISUAL
Photography from artist Joshua Reynolds representing his signature style, utilizing reflections and unique perspectives to capture the monumental and the mundane of NYC within his frame. A fourth piece, on cradled wood, adds hand-styling technique over printed photographic elements to truly express the city's layered visual culture.
Drawing influence from cinema, music, culinary arts, street fashion, martial arts and more, Joshua Reynolds (aka V-Tech Visual) is a visual samurai versed in all forms of combat. He has collaborated with numerous artists and brands incl. Craig Anthony Miller, Kurious Jorge, David Chang, Tom Ford, Prince Paul, and Tim Okamura. Through his work, Reynolds aims to teach self-confidence and encourage others to unlock their potential, fostering a more loving and respectful world.
Digital Prints on Canvas:"Double Standards" aka "It’s All Connected" (24” x 30")"Staple Design" aka "Rock Steady" aka "Expand & Elevate" (24” x 16”)
"Reach For The Sky" aka "Elevate & Expand"
Mixed Media on Cradled Wood Panel
24” x 48”SACSIX
Sacsix is a stalwart of NYC's indie art scene. His street campaigns are varied (FaceTags, #PostNoHate, wheatpaste mashups...) yet each has become iconic, possessing an immediacy that defines our moment.
Sacsix introduced the #UrbanZenGarden concept by way of an unassuming fire hydrant nearly five years ago, and he has been relentless ever since. "I am inspired by mindfulness and the ancient Japanese art of zen gardening, but applying it to the urban garden, in which we live. A place where zen garden rocks are symbolized by hydrants, mailboxes and bike racks. Where grains of sand are replaced by blowing garbage. These streets are our gardens to find peace and spread positivity." -Sacsix, Jan 2020
Urban Zen Garden is Sacsix's conceptual coup, a committed street art experiment both simple and profound, transforming our space and minds. These are several of the artist's dynamic attempts to bring this very ephemeral, outdoor street phenomena to the walls of galleries and collectors.
Will Power's distinctive artistic approach combines graffiti, street art, and fine art techniques, rooted deeply in hip-hop culture. His iconic murals, such as the Wu-Tang Clan tribute in Staten Island, have cemented his reputation in the art world. Power's work is featured in galleries and public spaces worldwide, highlighting his commitment to community art and cultural expression.
“HIP HOP IS DEAD"Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 48”