Alex Yanes
Born Alejandro Enrique Yanes in 1977 in Miami, Florida. Alex Yanes discovered the art of drawing and painting at a very early age, winning first place in the Dade County Youth Fair for a crayon drawing of the Easter bunny on a skate board, at the age of six. Years later while attending the International Fine Arts College in Downtown Miami as a graphic design student; Yanes began painting consistently in 1998. After exhibiting at Club Tantra and The Marlin Hotel on South Beach in 2000, Miami’s “trendy” crowd began to take notice of Alex’s talent. Yanes’ work is influenced by the graffiti and tattoo culture of the late 80’s and early 90’s. “My generation was raised on cartoons, graffiti and tattoos, it’s what we consider fine art”; stated Yanes at Unbreak Miami’s cultural event, where he displayed his latest work.
Along with vivid colors, Alex Yanes uses bold outlines to define his intricate figures. His most recent works are mixed media, three dimensional images. This process consists of drawing then cutting the image out of masonite board using a jig saw. Once they are cut, the individual pieces of the puzzle are sanded and painted using a mixture of acrylic, spray enamel and air brush. Finally, the pieces are attached to a background in multiple layers, revealing the completed painting. This approach enables the artist to achieve a “Pop out book” type of effect on a much larger scale. “My Father and Grandfather taught me how to use power tools when I was a kid. I built skateboard ramps and tree house forts, I’m very grateful for that. It’s very fulfilling to incorporate what they taught me into my art, all these years later.”
In early 2007, Yanes was asked to design one of his three dimensional Japanese Koi fish for The Learning Channel’s hit show “Miami Ink”. It was a perfect combination and before he knew it, Alex’s paintings were used as a backdrop on the television program; gaining him worldwide exposure. This opportunity opened more doors for the artist. In mid 2007 Yanes teamed up with DIG Communications and the Damian B. Contemporary Art Center of Miami to launch Emmi Café’ Latte’s United States campaign. The artist decorated two refrigerators with his artwork to mark the coffee’s U.S. debut. The refrigerators traveled throughout South Florida and were later auctioned off at the product launch party.
After a successful exhibition at the Antikulture Gallery during Miami’s yearly Art Basel event, Alex Yanes became busier than ever. In February 2008, Yanes along with Boston native graffiti artist “FIFTYTHREE” opened the Alternate Space Gallery in Miami’s historic Coconut Grove. With two commissioned paintings for Red Bull energy drink, a commissioned painting for the Florida Keys Diving Museum and dual art exhibitions with world renowned St. Louis stencil graffiti artist Peat Wolleager in San Francisco, California and Melbourne, Australia; Yanes never stops. In December of 2009 Alex introduced his Publix Supermarkets 2009 calendar titled “Majestic Beauty”. Yanes replaced Romero Britto’s family themed calendars with his own take on South Florida by bringing awareness to an important environmental concern. Well received with an overwhelming demand, Yanes’ calendar consisting of twelve endangered species native to South Florida has been used by teachers throughout the state to educate children about the fragile ecosystem that surround us all. Currently, all of the original paintings featured in the calendar along with seven installation pieces are on display at the Miami Children’s Museum, with the Museum adding four of the pieces to their permanent collection. Since the opening of his exhibit at the Miami Children’s Museum, Alex has been commissioned by Publix Supermarkets once again to create the 2010 Art Calendar. This upcoming calendar will consist of endangered species from all over the world with more illustratively detailed renditions of the animals. In August 2009, Alex Yanes became an artist in residency at the Bakehouse Art Complex where his new studio is located. “I live for my family, my art and all of the joy and stress that comes with it. I won’t stop creating until my ideas stop flowing and right now I’ve got too many to keep track of.”