Biography

Carlos “Mare” Rodriguez was born in 1965 and grew up in East Harlem, New York City, where he, under the pseudonym of MARE139, became part of the first subway graffiti artists during the 1970s and 1980s alongside other famous names like Dondi White or Kel First. With his passion for contemporary art, he brought graffiti style writing to another dimension creating metal sculptures from 1985, when he made his breakthrough with his ‘K’. His signature lettering style still forms the base for his sculptures, although he moved towards Futurism and Cubism in his later works. MARE139 is a lecturer and writer, too, is also responsible for the design of the Black Entertainment Television Award and was honoured for his work on the Style Wars website.

In 2019, Mare was a co-founder/co-curator of the Museum of Graffiti in Miami, further solidifying his impact on the future of the culture and its growth in the contemporary art world. His works have been featured in prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Pera Art Museum, and URBAN NATION Museum in Berlin, as well as private collections. His works were featured as a part of the opening of the URBAN NATION Museum in 2017.