STREET ART EXCLUSIVE: CRUZ Remains an Enigma

Federico Massa AKA CRUZ was  recently spotted in Brooklyn, between Myrtle Ave and Evergreen St. His large mural entitled “Corrientes Furiosas Que Acarician Y Que Destrozan” (translated “Furious Currents That Can Caress and That Can Destroy”) creates a lively marine world.

 

The words of poet Modesto Flako Jimenez  are added into the piece. Incorporating  words in murals is always challenging. You never want to hear the voice of the artist, you want to see it. However, the line of poetry is subtle enough to allow the viewer to read into it what he wishes to see.

Softness meets insanity. The figure of his signature portrait (square headed man) is tense. Federico plays with light to create texture. He softly incorporates circular shapes, giving the tentacles a pearl-like purity. There is a contrast between the claustrophobic sense the tentacles create and the softness of their delicacy — they almost seem to be caressing the whale.

The artist keeps on oscillating between universes and remains an enigma. What is next for Cruz?