Emilio Florentine brought his street expertise to the Jersey City Mural Arts Program and has contributed stunning works such as ‘Hudson River Breeze.’ Photo courtesy of Emilio Florentine
When Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast, a young artist was living in Jersey City, cooped up with no power and surveying the damage, just like everyone else. But the mind’s eye of an artist is unlike that of anyone else; and in the aftermath of the storm’s fury, he couldn’t help but wonder: what happens to flowers during a hurricane?
The dark and stormy vision filled his head. Flowers moving, being pulled apart by the wind. He sketched it in his mind, until his gardens of “exploding flowers” burst forth in vivid sprays of color to adorn the urban outdoor canvases of his hometown and beyond.
Emilio Florentine is the moniker taken by this master of street art, a muralist whose larger than life images transcend the clandestine expression of graffiti. Describing his work as “a visual study of chaos within beauty,” Florentine’s flowers offer a still shot of what would happen during an explosion, and they convey a meaningful message.
“Think about events we all go through in our lives,” Florentine said. “As catastrophic as life can be, we have to reflect, find the beauty and make a choice to move forward.”
Emilio Florentine is the moniker taken by this master of street art, Corey Fleming, a muralist whose larger than life images transcend the clandestine expression of graffiti. Photo courtesy of Emilio Florentine
Florentine grew up in Branchburg, revealing his talent at the tender age of 4, copying characters he saw in comic books. His family nurtured his abilities, enrolling him in adult drawing classes while just in middle school.
“In high school, I took every art class I could and went to the vocational school to study art and graphic design,” he said. “I followed that path through to earn my BFA at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.”
A career in graphic design and screen printing notwithstanding, it’s street art that truly unleashes his creativity. Before taking his exploding flowers out to public spaces, there were abandoned places where he tried it out first, secretly, graffiti-style. His online portfolio at emilioflorentine.com includes a brilliant collection of abandoned murals, striking colors sprayed with beautiful purpose upon the battered backdrops.
He brought his street expertise to the Jersey City Mural Arts Program and has contributed to the landscape such vibrant works as “Breaking Chains,” “Do One Thing Good,” “Things Fall Apart” and the towering “Hudson River Breeze.” The images are stunning.
Florentine’s flowers, like in ‘Breaking Chains,’ offer a still shot of what would happen during an explosion, and they convey a meaningful message. Photo courtesy of Emilio Florentine
“When I’m doing a community-based mural, I know the whole community will be walking by, and it’s like a gift to them,” Florentine said.
He gets an unexpected joy from admirers who stop to say, “It’s beautiful,” and to thank him; he avoids wearing headphones so he can interact with passersby and answer children’s questions. “It’s gratifying,” he said.
Beyond walls and roll gates in Jersey City, you can find Emilio Florentine originals elsewhere around the state, including Perth Amboy, Halo Roasters in Springfield (an interior mural) and Get Juiced Health Bar Café in Sussex.
Does he have a favorite?
“It’s always the last one I did. There’s a never-ending quest for the perfect painting, so I’m always challenging myself.”
A Florentine masterpiece sits inside Halo Roasters in Springfield. Photo courtesy of Emilio Florentine
The world’s latest challenge — quarantine — has allowed Florentine to find new beauty amid this chaos, painting his flowers on canvases large enough for spray paint but portable enough to be purchased, perfect for planting at home.
Find more of Florentine’s work at emilioflorentine.com or through Instagram @emilioflorentine.
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2020 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.
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Made in Jersey: Mural artist transforms dead spaces into lively works of art - Jersey's Best
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