Chances are you’ve seen his artwork around town and elsewhere in South Florida. Whether it’s a highway tunnel, a bridge or basically anything with a blank slate (indoors or outdoors) – Ruben Ubiera can turn a blank wall into a masterpiece.
He’s left his mark on many places in Fort Lauderdale. For example, he’s behind all the artwork you see on every wall of Tacocraft on Himmarshee. And, you know that infamous Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort bridge? Well, that’s him.
Ubiera is a neo-figurative artist and is known for his strong use of the line and graffiti. But don’t call him a graffiti artist. He aligns himself with postgraffism, but prefers to call it “urban-pop.” He considers postgraffism a new kind of urban art.
Punto Urban Art Museum defines postgraffism as graffiti and street art that frequently includes images influenced by skateboard imagery, comics and typography. Ubiera recalls being heavily influenced by the graffiti art that surrounded him growing up in the Bronx, New York, when he was a teenager.
Outside of Fort Lauderdale, his art can be found in Wynwood, Miami Beach, Lake Worth, Delray, West Palm Beach, Brickell, in Michigan and beyond. It’s worth mentioning you’ve probably even seen his work displayed at Art Basel in Miami.
While Ubiera’s work encompasses different mediums (almost never canvases), his passion lies in murals. You can see the passion oozing throughout his murals. According to his website, “Some of the ‘wall art’ you’ll see here is a product of collaboration with cities (public art), some is commercial in nature (commissions) and some is more of an … ‘impromptu self-expression.’ All of it a product of blood, sweat, tears and coffee. Lots of Dominican coffee.”
