Retna and El Mac mural on the side of the Margulies Collection Building, Miami, Fl, December 4, 2009

MIAMI, FL — L.A. Graffiti artists staked out serious turf during Art Basel, Miami this week. Heading down I-95 with Holiday and Mear One, we spotted Retna and El Mac taking over the side of the Margulies Collection warehouse. We flipped around and caught up with them in mid-stream. Working with lifts and ladders, Mac and Retna were unfolding a sick new piece at least 30 x 50 feet. The figure for this mural was inspired by a homeless man that El Mac had met in San Francisco while working on another painting.

Looking around we quickly realized that the place was crawling with artists and learned that Primary Flight had arranged for artist from all over the country to paint public spaces throughout the neighborhoods that surround Art Miami, the Margulies Collection, The Rubell Collection, Pulse, SCOPE Fair, Aqua, Red Dot, Photo Miami. The scene was beautiful ugly.

Though Mear One didn’t know it yet, the Primary Flight guys had also reserved a huge wall for him within the Primary Flight compound about two blocks from where Retna and El Mac were painting. Everyone was soon getting busy and hardly a wall stood bare.