Jean Paul Mallozzi

Lie With MeWhere are you from?

I was born and raised in Queens, NYC

What do you love most about Miami?

I think it's a nice place that helped me reconnect with my Cuban side. I know it made my Mom happy, haha. Oh, and I make one hell of a Cuban coffee.

How has Miami shaped your career as an artist?

I was fortunate enough to receive a residency at the Bakehouse Art Complex. It gave me a place to really focus on making new work that was outside of my bedroom.

How would you describe your art?

I try to retell a personal experience with each piece, not just from my life, but others that are around me

You have a very recognizable style. Did you develop a specific style intentionally? Spring Never Falls detail

I tried to break out of my comfort zone with just highly rendered works.  I've always admired good abstract art and I wanted to incorporate it with my love for rendering.

Where did you learn your craft and how important is an education in art to become an artist?

I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to the Rhode Island School Of Design. Education itself is definitely a huge plus in broadening points of view and honing skills for an artist. On the flip side, I know of several self taught artists who are creating stellar work and are very successful. I really am thankful for the experiences I had in college.  Spring Never Falls detail

You recently signed with the Margulies Agency. How did the connection come about?

Michael Margulies has been talking with me for a few years now. He approached me after I had one of my pieces exhibited in David Castillo's invitational show last summer. He's been really supportive of the arts here and when he asked me, I calmly said yes, but mentally I had a huge stupid smile.

Tell us about your forthcoming exhibition please.

I'll be having my first solo show at 101/Exhibit in the Design District on August 10th.

How do you feel about your first solo show?

It was a hard time finding the right title for this show. When I came upon kN0B0DY, nothing else seemed to fit as well. So I'm feeling excited/anxious/stressed, depends on the day of the week it seems.

Can you tell us more about the work we will see in the show?

I've made sure to create a whole new body of work for it, including an 8ft long piece called "Spring Never Falls." I still am in shock that I did it that large. I think I have to be somewhat of a masochist, but I am really happy with how it turned out, and more so what the piece talks about.

What does the piece talk about? Tenacity

It talks about bullying between girls and the unique way they go about it.

Why did you choose 101/exhibit?

101's artists are incredibly skilled and I'm honestly honored to have my works shown in their gallery.

Do you have any other news you would like to share with the readers of miamiartzine?

There’s some developments going on for me to be included in this year's Art Basel, but I can't say much more for now.