EP 135 : ATOMIK
FEBRUARY 2022
"When I paint on the street, a lot of cops just drive right by"
Few artists if any are more synonymous with the city in which they live than Miami’s Atomik. His iconic Orange character is visible in every corner of the city, from walls to street signs to tee-shirts and beyond . It could be argued that there is not a single spot in Wynwood where you can stand and not have an Atomik orange within your line of vision. Surprisingly however, the thing that sets Atomik apart from other graffiti writers is not how prolific he is, but rather how much the city has embraced him and adopted his character as the unofficial mascot of Miami. Most graffiti communicates in a coded language speaking only to those who understand the source code leaving the majority of society out of. he conversation. Atomik’s orange on the other hand speaks directly to the people of the city drawing on historical and sentimental imagery and presented in a way that inspires pride and ownership within the community.
Beyond the orange, Atomik is a staple in the Miami art and graffiti scene with his fingers in many different pies. Decades of painting graffiti in just about every corner of the world has led him to running galleries, producing his own original toys and merchandise, organizing local youth art events through his shared studio space and still finding time for his family and his own professional art practice.