Urban Folk Art © studios, (the gallery / boutique adjacent to the shop) -
Curators Omar Sanchez and Adam Suerte share many things in common. Both are brooklyn natives, ex-graffiti writers, painters, illustrators and comic book makers.They are huge fans of comic book imagery, low and high brow art, and true believers that while supporting ther own artistic sensibilities and goals, supporting other artists can only bring good things.
One other thing they share is that they both have day jobs. Adam has been tattooing for over
10 years, and Omar has been managing / operating an art handling company for about the same.
Since they began curating together, the primary venues for their solo and group shows were in bar / lounges, with the occasional gallery. The wont to show in these venues describes their blue collar sensibilities, in essence, showing work to and by their peers. The gallery will show many different disciplines, as well as different levels of undiscovered, emerging, and established artists. The type of work shown will be anything from comtemporary painting, drawing, printmaking and photography, to comic art, legendary graffiti artists, and contemporary illustration. Both of their work describes the human condition, the day to day illustration and expression of the working class. And while every artist they show may not illustrate in the same context, they all share the hard work they did to get where they are.
The boutique in front of the gallery represents the continual branding of Brooklyn Tattoo® as well as the resurgence of the Urban Folk Art © t-shirt line. In the early 90’s Suerte ran an artist collective, (UFA©), who’s primary source of income was freelance silkscreening and their own
t-shirt line which sold at such style purveyors of the time as Union, 99x, and Patricia Fields. With that, there will also be such merchandise as the borough renowned "Landmark Brooklyn" pint glasses, as well as affordable art from the local artists involved in the shop, gallery, and those who exhibit there.