The Soho House street are series continues! Chicago-based graffiti artist, SentRock , aka Joseph Perez, was the February featured artist. On Saturday, February 28th, SentRock began his masterpiece on the South wall of the house. It was undoubtedly one of the coldest days of the year, but he powered though!
Although he had to return on a different day to complete the North wall, the completed installation was extremely impressive. Make sure you head over to Soho before the end of the month to see the finished piece for yourself!
Halfstack: How did you get started with creating murals?
SentRock: I
go by SentRock, raised in Phoenix and moved to Chicago a few years ago. I was
first exposed to art through a school mural program and loved it since. In my
teens, I got into graffiti writing w/ my boys & that became my life. As, I
kept doing it, I just kept wanting to express myself and inspire people. I had
a lot of family members in and out of prison, including my pops, so for me,
art was my path to get away from that. I am here in Chicago now, making art and pushing myself/art to be better & go harder.
HS: How would you describe your artistic style
SR: My
artistic style comes from my surroundings and upbringings. It's going through a
lot of changes , ups and downs, but my roots of growing up in a Chicago
neighborhood, being a product of hip-hop and it’s elements of graffiti/
b-boying. I also am very influenced by my surroundings , whatever I see I
incorporate into my art. It’s a graffiti/ street art/folk style, I suppose.
HS: Where does the name "Sentrock" come from?
SR: My
name SentRock, comes from a homie in high school who gave me it. He said, I
should write “Sent” like heaven sent, cuz I was into my faith at that time. I
thought that was dope, so I kept it. The “Rock” came when I became a “Bboy”.
HS: What was it like being a featured artist for the Graffiti on Green project?
SR: Yeah,
it was dope! I like SoHo House a lot. Really dope vibes and they treat the
artist good. You can tell they really value the art, so I feel really good
about it. Plus, it’s a lot people who see it and tag me in photos, so I know people
are seeing it.
HS: What is your favorite part about being an artist, living in Chicago?
SR: The
best part of being an artist in Chicago, is the dynamics, culture and history.
I love that everybody here in Chicago understands the “grind”. It’s a city full
of hard workers. No matter what field, people appreciate good work and work
ethic. If you put out good work and work hard, your art will not go unnoticed,
people will show appreciation. I feel Chicago is a big city, with a lot of dope
opportunities, but it’s not a LA or Miami. It’s a lot of real people that
appreciate real art.
HS: Are there any other artists that you have enjoyed collaborating with?
SR: I
enjoy working with all artists and I am looking forward to working many more in
this city. I often work with my dude JC aka the Bear Champ, we have a few
murals in the works coming up. We are ready to work!
HS: What are you looking forward to most this year?
SR: I am looking forward to
enjoying my first year of being married, and getting over this past winter, ha! I
am ready to take my art to another level and Chicago will be my platform, the
best place to be in the summer.
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