Midtown Chic-a Spotlight: Kiki Valdes (the artist)

If you’re even somewhat familiar with the local Miami art scene then the name Kiki Valdes is one you’ll recognize right away. Popular for his live painting, vibrant colors and Latin flair, Kiki has been helping shape the local art scene for over a decade. His work continues to explore universal themes including love, spirituality, heritage, death and more.

Right away you can tell Kiki is proud of his Cuban roots and is an activist in his own right. He was most recently invited to speak at a conference in Medellin, Colombia called TagMe 2010 where he created artwork for the people of Colombia and also gave lectures on art, technology and social media.

We recently caught up with Kiki Valdes at Cafeina Lounge where he was exhibiting his collection of work called Back in the Club Days: Live Work from 2004-2006. It just so happened I was celebrating my B-day there that same day and we had the chance to meet up.

me, Kiki Valdes and Drigo (friend)

Kiki Valdes spent some time answering our Midtown Chic-a Spotlight questions so here they are for your reading enjoyment (My Qs in bold):

My name is… Luis Enrique Valdes, but my friends call me... Kiki Valdes. People say it like its one word.

When I’m at work, you’ll most likely find me… Painting, reading, on the phone or on the streets.

To blow off steam, I like to… go to the park and feed the ducks or write things down.

My favorite local spot is… The Forge because…I like to people watch. The food is good too. One time I went with my camera to take some pictures of the decor for a painting idea. I was asked to take someone's picture. I think it was Craig Robbins and some of his friends. Someone from the Guggenheim gave me a $100 just to take it. I'm no photographer but things like that always happen. I did a painting there live once and someone paid for the painting in cash (in $100 bills) and stuck it on the roof of his Corvette and rode off with his girlfriend holding onto it for dear life. Next day I called him and he shipped it away to South America. Just really crazy things have happened there.

If you looked on my ipod right now, you’ll most likely find… motivational speakers or audio books. No music believe it or not. I just listen to the old fashion radio when I want some music. WDNA, WIOD, MPR or The Voice is what's on when I'm in the car or painting.

I love living in Miami because… it's a growing place where its a melting pot of different people. Nature and architecture are really quite amazing. Great weather, beautiful women and it’s the closet America has to the Caribbean.

I also hate it sometimes because… People here don't take enough risks. Everyone is scared of their image, yet half of the people here try to be a carbon copy of what is happening fashion wise or artistically in places like NY or LA. I also don't like the whole drug element of this city. Everyone thinks cocaine is cool and glamorous like the movies. I think it’s depressing.

If I had to pick anywhere else in the world to live, it would be... New York, I'm working on that. New York, Key West and maybe somewhere in Europe. Dividing my time is really important for me. I can't see myself only living in Miami. It's not gonna happen.

When I go to a bar, I almost always ask for a… Black Label on the rocks with some water. People can't stand it watered down but I dig it. If its beer its usually a Heineken.

Miami’s best kept secret is… My studio, 7610 NE 4th Court.

My go-to local place to grab a good meal is… Woodys on Biscayne Blvd. Established in 1954! I'm a mom and pop shop kind of guy. The steak sandwiches are simple. Simple is the best.

If I had to choose b/w South Beach or Midtown Miami… Midtown all the way. I'm there everyday mostly. South Beach is great for tourism. More power to them. But I'm for midtown.

Words I try to live by… Persistence Breaks Resistance.

One thing that a lot of people don’t know about me is…I use to have 100's upon 100's of punk rock music. I use to give it away. In high school I would get it free all the time because me and my brother Humby published OpenZine. It was a punk rock, art and hip hop zine. Now it’s a platform to make web magazines. www.OpenZine.com

Here’s where you can go to find out more about me…
http://www.kikivaldes.com/
www.OpenZine.com/KikiValdes
www.Twitter.com/KikiValdes

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