Glendalys Medina
- 2012-2013
- Visual Arts
- John Armstrong Chaloner/Jacob H. Lazarus-Metropolitan Museum of Art Rome Prize
THE SHANK
For the past seven years I have been working on a project I call The Shank. The Shank is a process of self-transformation using the elements of Hip Hop as its medium. In The Shank I am mastering MCing, breakdancing, graffiti and DJing by reproducing the work of prominent figures in Hip Hop culture. After acquiring an arsenal of different styles, I produce original work in order to realize my voice as an MC, my body as a Breaker, my name as a Graffiti writer and my rhythm as a DJ. I chose the word 'shank' because of its slang definition as a handmade knife commonly made in prisons. The Shank was conceived as a gift allowing the recipient the opportunity to escape confinement, discover one's true self and recreate one's identity. Although I was the first to receive this gift, I aim not to be the last.
Glendalys Medina, One Mic by Nas, 2008-09
Performance, 4:28mins.
Courtesy the artist.
Glendalys Medina, Caterpillar, 2011
Performance, 3:12mins.
Courtesy of the artist.
Glendalys Medina, BlackGold, 2012.
Spray Paint on Paper, 24 x36 cm. Courtesy the artist.
Glendalys Medina, 19 of 26, 2013.
Marker and pencil on paper, 150 x 188 cm. Courtesy the artist.
Glendalys Medina, 19 of 26 Detail, 2013.
Glendalys Medina, 8 of 26, 2013.
Marker and pencil on paper, 150 x 166 cm. Courtesy the artist.
Glendalys Medina, 8 of 26 Detail, 2013.
Glendalys Medina, 11 of 26, 2013.
Marker and pencil on paper, 150 x 188 cm. Courtesy the artist.
Glendalys Medina, 11 of 26 Detail, 2013.
Marker and pencil on paper, 150 x 188 cm. Courtesy the artist.
BIO
Glendalys Medina is a New York based artist who was recently awarded a NYFA Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Art in 2012. Glendalys has exhibited work internationally at such notable spaces as Artists Space, Jack Shainman Gallery and the Bronx Museum of Arts. She was a selected participant of NYFA's Boot-Camp Program in 2011 and awarded the Bronx Museum's Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) residency in 2010.