Museum of Graffiti Celebrates Its 6th Anniversary with JonOne’s ‘El Tiguere’ Exhibition During Miami Art Week

Source: Museum of Graffiti

Reported By: Matthew Kennedy

The Museum of Graffiti, one of the nation’s leading institutions for contemporary urban art, is celebrating its 6th anniversary this December with an ambitious series of exhibitions and events during Miami Art Week, presented by Rust-O. The museum will unveil a complete transformation of its galleries, debuting a new semi-permanent exhibition titled Origins alongside a solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist JonOne, titled El Tiguere.

Together, these presentations illuminate graffiti’s journey—from its earliest underground expressions on the streets and subways of New York City to its current place within the global art world—cementing the Museum of Graffiti’s role as a cultural cornerstone in Wynwood, Miami’s creative district.

Opening December 3, 2025, Origins invites visitors into an immersive, narrative-driven experience that captures graffiti’s rise from grassroots rebellion to recognized fine art. Guests will enter through a vintage hardware store installation, reimagined as a time capsule, evoking an era when graffiti artists relied on industrial tools to make their mark.

In a contemporary twist, the recreated shop will double as a functioning paint store stocked exclusively with Rust-O, Rust-Oleum’s new line of artist-grade spray paints. The partnership represents a symbolic shift for the art form—once seen as vandalism, now embraced by global brands and celebrated in museum settings.

One of the exhibition’s most significant moments comes with the presentation of original works by the United Graffiti Artists (UGA) collective—PHASE2, FLINT 707, SNAKE 1, and COCO144—which have not been publicly displayed since 1973. These historic pieces represent one of the first times graffiti entered the gallery environment.

Running alongside Origins is El Tiguere, a major solo exhibition by JonOne (John Andrew Perello), the Harlem-born artist whose career bridges the streets of 1980s New York and the galleries of Paris. The exhibition’s title—El Tiguere, a Dominican slang term denoting grit and resourcefulness—captures the energy that has defined JonOne’s artistic journey.

Starting as a graffiti writer tagging trains in Harlem, JonOne transformed his street-born sensibilities into a globally recognized studio practice. His canvases, characterized by layers of dripping paint and rhythmic abstraction, channel both chaos and control—a visual dialogue between survival and self-expression.

For the first time in Miami, JonOne will also maintain a working studio inside the museum, allowing visitors to witness his process live. On opening day, he will perform a live painting session, transforming the space with the same kinetic energy that defines his large-scale works.

The museum’s Art Week programming, running December 3–5, 2025 (12 PM to 6 PM), extends beyond the gallery walls with a dynamic outdoor interactive patio connecting the Museum of Graffiti, The Art of Hip Hop, and The Private Gallery. A single ticket ($25) grants access to the full experience, which includes exclusive brand activations, performances, and live art showcases.

Highlights include:

• Truist Bank’s “ART ATM”, dispensing free limited-edition giclées by New York’s TATS CRU
  

• Daily Rust-O Dem-O’s, featuring aerosol battles between top Miami and international artists
  

• Modelo’s Open Bar & Creative Gifting Suite
  

• 1-of-1 T-shirt customizations by ASC and 4SAKN CBS

This immersive celebration merges art, culture, and community, underscoring the museum’s mission to honor graffiti’s roots while championing its contemporary relevance.

Born in Harlem in 1963, JonOne began painting at age 17 before co-founding the influential 156 All Starz collective in 1984. His move to Paris in 1987, following an invitation from French artist Bando, marked a turning point in his career, leading to residencies at the Hôpital Éphémère and subsequent acclaim across Europe and Asia.

Today, JonOne’s work is represented in major galleries including Magda Danysz, Willem Speerstra, David Pluskwa, and Martine Ehmer, and his collaborations span Air France, Lacoste, Guerlain, and Daum. In 2015, he was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French Republic, with his monumental work Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité installed at the Palais Bourbon, home of the French National Assembly.

Founded in 2019, the Museum of Graffiti remains the world’s first institution dedicated exclusively to the preservation, education, and celebration of graffiti art. Through its permanent and rotating exhibitions, the museum continues to amplify the voices of artists who have transformed public space into cultural expression.

As it celebrates six years in Wynwood, the museum’s commitment to authenticity and innovation positions it as a cornerstone of Miami’s evolving cultural landscape—one that continues to bridge street art and fine art for a new generation of enthusiasts.