"Pun 18" Philip Cruz Villegas
Bayamón, PR, 1985 - 2016
Biography Details
Painter and urban artist. Obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design from Atlantic College in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2007. Won Second Place in “Graphopoli”, Biennial of Urban Art of Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in 2008. He has exhibited in solo and group shows, painted murals and commissions, and participated in special projects held in Puerto Rico, Spain, Canada, United States, Argentina, France and Germany. Has been reviewed in numerous magazines and newspapers in Puerto Rico and featured in books like, The History of American Graffiti, Graffiti Burners Book, Graffiti Planet 1 and 2, among many others. Pun18 lives and works in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. As the essence of his work, graffiti has motivated the seamless transition into murals and painting, playing an important role in his career since he was 15 years old.
Artist Statement
“"As a narrator that emphasizes the crucial scene of a story, I reveal on canvas and murals stories from my personal experiences that at the same time, reflect my way of looking at society. As artist I create a representative aesthetic influenced directly by graffiti and its practice, since it plays a fundamental role in my work, being the medium of expression I started employing to develop the concept of my work. When developing the same I use sarcasm as a form of expression, a mechanism that opens doors to convey the message through the appropriation of elements from popular culture which overlap with fictional characters that I present in my work.
My way of working is quick and precise as if I was in the middle of doing a vandalism act in the most coarse way as graffiti is done. This without losing the expression or the detail of the story that I’m going to tell. The materials used on canvas go hand in hand with the materials I use in my graffiti and murals which allow me to paint quickly and achieve the visual attraction towards the work. The specific use of a bright color palette makes the viewer, when seeing the work, have an immediate ecstasy type reaction, where instantly, the viewer has an image and color overload that provokes the discovery of my work.."
-Pun 18, April, 2014
Formation
Education
2007
- Bachelor’s Degree of Graphic Design. Atlantic College, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2011
- Desde Adentro, Escuela de Arquitectura, Ponce; Galería Espacio 304, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2010
- En 3 Dimensiones, Galería Espacio 304, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Group Shows
2013
- Saturation, Yves Laroche Gallery, Montreal, Canada
2012
- Intervenciones, (18 castillos), Galería Espacio 304, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Buenas Señales, Galería Espacio 304, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- G40 group show, Art Whino Gallery, Richmond, Virginia, United States
- Saturation, Galería Espacio 304, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
- Can’t You Rock, Montreal, Canada
- Boricuas Bestiales, La Ene, Nuevo Museo Energía de Arte Contemporáneo Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Trazos: Open Studio Bikismo, Pun18, La Pandilla, Ciudadela, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- De Bayamón a la 15, Cart Watch, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Generaciones, Galería Tous Soto, Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2008
- Código 7, CIRCA 08, Galería Espacio 304, Centro de Convenciones de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2007
- La Borraron, Galería Espacio 304, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Espacio Disponible, Caribbean University, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
2006
- Paint to Flash, Montana Gallery, Seville, Spain
- Base Atom Jam, Lille, France
2005
- Meeting of Styles, Wiesbaden, Germany
- Orange Jam, Seville, Spain
2004
- Urban Art Festival, Seville, Spain
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
2008
- Second Place. Graphopoli Biennial of Urban Art, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Collections
- Caribbean University, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Books
Björn-Almqvist. Graffiti Burners Book. Dokument Press, 2011.
Graffiti Coloring Book 3, International Stylez. Dokument Press, 2012.
O’Mara, Michael. Graffiti Planet 2, Ket. Michael O’Mara Books Limited, 2009.
O’Mara, Michael. Graffiti Planet 1, Ket. Michael O’Mara Books Limited, 2007.
Gastman Roger; Neelon, Caleb. The History of American Graffiti. Harper Design, 2011.
Web
Rodríguez-Burns, Francisco. “Pun 18 y su arte alterno”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 5 de Marzo de 2014.