Coco Chips, 2024.
Glycee Print. Purchase
—
Art by TEEL ONE
Poem by Melody Contreras
—
to those that see me as a disfavor
your formulated syntax
is a direct replication
of the institution that sculpted you
into a fabrication of deceit
gaining you as another investor
rather than valuing your soul
as something more than lucre
when actions repeat same cycles
inflicted onto my brown body
I cannot choose but to laugh and bear
wicked weight that’s attempted to depress me
spewed at a smaller dose
I hold it up stronger
because I am stronger
and no person place or thing
can take away the pain I’ve endured
or the muscles I’ve maintained
to ensure
I will never be
what has made you
into the same thing as them
//
Solar’s awakening
Exhausted flesh terrorized by lucid shadows
calls for a gentle dawn
Stretch your arms and legs
to calm the paralyzed night of slumber
Drink water with glistening slices of lemon
to wash over subconscious toxins
Lather honey-scented lotion to revive and remind you
the sweet brown skin that chose your soul
A new promising deliberate day
offers endless possibilities to inner peace
//
maybe the voids are meant to remind us how:
polarizing we can go
we hold no bounds among ourselves
infinite we are
—
Melody Contreras is a writer, dramaturg, curator, and multimedia artist based in Chicago. She is a graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received a B.F.A. in Theatre Studies and a B.A. in Latina/Latino Studies. Upcoming, she is working on a publication surrounding her research on María Irene Fornés. In her free time, she enjoys nature walks and spending time with loved ones. Follow her on Instagram @melodies_harmonies
TEEL ONE IS A GRAFFITI ARTIST WHO HAS SPENT MORE THAN HALF OF HIS LIFE PAINTING ON ANYTHING HE COULD GET HIS HANDS ON AND THAT INCLUDES TOYS.OF CUBAN MEXICAN DESCENT, BORN IN CHICAGO, HE STARTED DOING GRAFFITI IN 1989 RIGHT AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER. TEEL ONE FOUND HIS EMOTIONAL REFUGE AND CREATIVE INSPIRATION IN THE HIP HOP SUBCULTURES, AND WOULD END UP SPENDING A GOOD PORTION OF HIS YOUTH AND HIS EARLY ADULT YEARS PAINTING WALLS AND TRAINS THROUGH NEARLY EVERY MAJOR CITY IN THE US.
HE WAS PART OF A HUGE GRAFFITI SCENE IN THE 1990’S THAT HE HAD A PART IN PLAYING AND RUBBED ELBOW WITH CHICAGO GREATS LIKE DESIGN AND MANY OTHER FROM THE CITY, BUT NOT TILL HE STARTED HIS OWN CREW DID HE REALLY BLOW UP ON THE SCENE THEN LATER CHANGED THE NAME OF HIS CREW THAT IS NOW INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED IN THERE FIELD THE ORGANIZATION FOCUSES ON LARGE SCALE MURALS, YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION, AND PRESERVATION OF GRAFFITI/STREET ART CULTURE.
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1000 Words | Home Not Home Artists + Writers
Noa Alemán + Tamar Brooks • Jacqueline Almaguer + Alanis Castillo Caref • Lexi Alvarado + Isabela Ortega • Danielle Arend + Janina Gatilao • Sofia Brunwin + Spencer Hutchinson • Andrea Cole + Rocio Franco • Lydia Collins + Tarnynon Onumonu • Gregory Diaz + Irvin Ibarra • Danielle Dykerhouse + Betsy Van Die • Jonathan Espinoza + ben-aki • Jaymes Fedor + Maria Requena • Samantha Franco + Angeles Rangel • Ines Gardea + Angelica Davila • Frank Geiser + Penny Mann • Evelyn Hernandez + Valeria Osornio • Stephanie Hererra + Neha Chawla • Ivana Jarmon + Theo Sullivan • Vivian Jones + Luz Silva • Lewis Lain + Thulasi Seshan • Cesar Luna + benedicta m badia • Marie Magnetic + Jasmine Rodriguez • Delisha Mckinney + Paloma Velasco • Diana Noh + Juj-Lepe • Andrew Rehs + Corbett Berger • Clau Rocha + Maria Jose Ramos Villagra • Amyia Ross Brittanii Batts (Tanae b) • Fawaz Sakaw + Arianna Maggio • Lucero Sanchez + Clay-Cofre • Ramin Takloo-Bighash + Yiwen-Lyu • TEEL ONE + Melody Contreras • Pamela Trejo + Kim Yeoh • Cindy Uriostegui + Scum Drop • Ami Vasilopoulos + Stephanie Cruz Rincon • Ivy Waegel + Aryn Hills • Emily Schroeder Willis + Angelica Flores • Raine Yung + Micaela Petkus