Descending the stairs into the Brooklyn basement that is home to the Destroy & Rebuild studio, your senses are immediately assaulted by loud beats and the pungent odor of paint fumes and smoke. Once you've acclimatized, you find yourself at the center of a hotbed of activity. The three-man collective that is Destroy & Rebuild is busy putting the final touches on an impressive, large canvas for the Red show at Manhattan's Cheryl Hazan Gallery and the energy in the room is palpable. Anthony Vasquez washes screens and Mike Baca waves a dryer over a corner of the canvas, while Fernando Romero paces back and forth, spouting suggestions for improving the composition of the piece. I spent an afternoon in the studio with the guys and, contrary to my initial impression, came away firmly convinced that there is definitely a method to their madness

In late 2005, Anthony founded Destroy & Rebuild after a stint in jail. His friend "By Hand" - now part of the 624713 Art Collective - introduced him to street vending and taught him the finer points of stenciling and silk-screening. Using his archive of graffiti and urban landscape photographs as a primary source, Anthony started working on creating his own screens. While he now has the capacity to burn screens in the studio, in the beginning he relied heavily on the Lower East Side community arts center ABC No Rio. By 2007, Mike had joined Destroy & Rebuild and between the two of them, they had enough material in production to start vending on their own. When Mike ran into some difficulties with the law, Fernando jumped in to help out … and the collective as it exists today was formed.

Spend enough time with Destroy & Rebuild and you'll quickly realize they are a tight unit. Each canvas is created collaboratively, with each member taking turns adding and blending various elements. Fernando favors the paint brush and is responsible for laying down the colored or textured backdrops that form the foundation of a canvas. Mike contributes graphic elements and specializes in modes of transportation (think box trucks, taxicabs or police cruisers). Anthony concentrates mainly on architectural elements and newspaper collages; he's also developed a rust patina to age and distress canvases.

When asked what motivates them, Fernando said it best: "It's about the freshness of each new piece … the excitement of creating something new … and it's a surprise every time." Not a day goes past when they're not painting, he said, and it shows in canvases that have become increasingly more refined. At their vending spot in SoHo, Destroy & Rebuild do a brisk business with their canvases. They sell to young and old, tourists and New Yorkers alike – "Even the Law loves us!" Mike chimes in, clearly amused that SoHo beat cops show an interest in their work.

The city of New York looms large as a defining influence on the work of these three native New Yorkers. Although they make use of some of New York's many iconic images, that is but one element in their repertoire. Combined with their pride in New York's graffiti heritage, with each canvas they capture a fleeting yet defining moment of New York at the end of a decade. While gentrification has run rampage in certain parts of New York, we all know that there are still plenty of raw spots to be found. This wild heart is the core of Destroy and Rebuild's work and it's powerful enough that it speaks to everyone.

Anthony, Fernando and Mike have big plans for 2010 – watch out, Europe, here they come – and a strong enough work ethic to pull it off. You can find them at the corner of Prince and Greene Thursdays through Sundays or online at http://destroyandrebuildnyc.com/.

Many thanks to the lovely Julie for her hospitality!

Happy Holidays from the Street Spot! Stay tuned for more good things next year...

Labels: destroy + rebuild, studio visit