In May of 2008, I attended an
art show at the F6 Gallery in Arlington,
TX. My brother wanted me to
meet a friend of his, whose art was on display that night. My brother
told me he learned a lot from this guy and that he had a lot of insight he
could offer me. After meeting him, seeing his art and soaking up some of
the wisdom, I was convinced of everything my brother told me. Bottom
line: the guy is brilliant. I knew right away I would have to
feature him and his art on The Urban Advocate. So my people, allow me to
introduce you to Hatziel Flores.
Hatziel Flores was born in
the free-spirited Mexico City,
Mexico.
Hatziel first discovered art at the tender age of four years old. While
playing under the dining room table, his mother introduced him to a pencil and
a sheet of paper. Hatziel was clueless to about what the utensil was for
until his mother, to whom he gives credit for his creativity, drew a smiley
face on the piece of paper. He was left astonished by what the pencil
created and was curious to see what else it could do. From that point on,
his life was never the same again. Art became his motivation and his
mission in life.
Despite his talent, Hatziel
was a troubled in his teenage years, much like many of the young black and
brown men today. While attending middle school, Hatziel was introduced to
urban culture: the streets, hip-hop and graffiti. He met another graffiti
artist by the name of Kame and became a part of his crew, The Urban Army, where
he met future partner, Ray Alberez. Some people might say you are only as
good as the people around you and Hatziel was surrounded by pure talent.
He honed his skills and became very competitive, always striving to be the best
at his art. That competitive nature got Hatziel into trouble. One
night in an attempt to compete with the number one graffiti crew in the area,
Hatziel and a fellow crew member was apprehended for tagging a wall at SkylineHigh School. Subsequently, he was
expelled and sent to alternative school. But once again, Hatziel was
surrounded by some strong competition which motivated him to sharpen his
skills. Teachers at the alternative school began to take notice to his
talent. They would excuse him from class work in exchange for an original
drawing. But school has a way of hindering an artistic free-spirit like
Hatziel, so he dropped out and began working full-time. After realizing
he made a mistake, Hatziel returned back to school. Just like his tenure
in alternative school, Hatziel would gain extra credit for his artwork.
He eventually gained enough credit to graduate from high school.
After finishing high school,
Hatziel hopped back into the work force. But art was the only thing that
filled that void in his life. Hatziel recalls sleepless nights where he could
not rest until illustrated his visions. His position as a store manager
taught him how to be responsible, disciplined and he learned to be more
business minded, even about his art. He remained very competitive, which
was compounded after a meeting with a certain Houston “underground legend.” Hatziel
got a chance to speak with Houston
rap artist Lil Flip and received a little bit of advice. In that
conversation, Flip told Hatziel to be the best at what he does and everything
would fall into place. He quit his job to begin concentrating on his art
full-time. Though he dealt with rejection in the beginning, Hatziel never
looked back.
Music, urban culture, his
past, beauty, former competitors and the violence in the world all make
Hatziel’s art what it is. His art is a style which he describes
as edgy-Modern Surrealism. He is currently working on building the Art
Takeover company with his Urban Army running mate, Ray Alberez. Hatziel’s
determination to stay true to his roots and his refusal to accept contentment
is what drives this young artist on his road of life. With that level of
focus, Hatziel is sure to reach his destination.
