Friday, December 16, 2022, at 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Greenwich Arts Council
299 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
Golden, born Cristhian Saravia is a Wynwood, Florida-based street artist well known for his bright-colored murals depicting clever use of color, imagery, and a dose of humor. Born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1975, Golden began his early career with graffiti in 1986. Golden’s mother recognized her son’s natural ability outside of the workshops and classes at the local art school that he attended starting at the age of eight. Learning to tattoo at the age of ten, Golden helped popularize the industry of tattoo artistry in Venezuela. Along with a few friends, Golden started the first tattoo shop in Venezuela which still stands; tattoos became a gateway into the professional art world for Golden. Also provided with an airbrush machine by his mother that same year, Golden developed innate business skills by acquiring work to create signs for local business owners. By the age of 15, Golden was a pioneer and early influencer of the tattoo and graffiti movements in his native country.
Moving to Florida in the mid-’90s, Golden’s recognizable style of character-based art soon begins gaining popularity by the early 2000s. Painting original, larger-than-life ‘monster’ icons (in scale and character complexity) using striking, bold, vibrant, ‘pop art’ colors to communicate simple values such as life, death, balance, and identity, Golden’s messages represent immigration, culture, and tradition and overall a sense of joy and positivity. Studying at the Tampa International Academy of Merchandising and Design, Golden’s experience in interactive media design along with sign-making, graphic design, and illustration produces a nomenclature of over 140 ‘monster’ characters defined as the ‘Love Gang’. Originally created to communicate beliefs, concepts, and theories held by Golden to be taught to his young daughter at the time, the existence of the monsters and the evolution of their development become sacrosanct to the bond and existence of father Golden, and daughter Ange. Within the span of three decades, world-renowned as an artist, art producer, and curator, over 2,500 large-scale public art murals were created and produced by Golden. Golden has participated in more than a hundred art festivals and events contributing to Wynwood Walls, Bushwick Collective, Punto Urban Art Museum, and Favela Painting to name a few.
Under Golden’s tutelage, confidence, integrity, high esteem, and harmony have highly influenced Ange to pursue creative direction now as a young adult. Golden’s visceral influence is still the same driving force towards his audience with the simple message of ‘love, gratitude, happiness, and hope’ ensuring a straightforward appeal intended to be a direct reflection of his artistic objective. In 2018, artist protégé Ange, alongside Golden, begin to function as a daughter and father duo, “We Are Golden”. Painting and traveling the world, the duo has completed mural projects in major and smaller cities worldwide such as Miami, New York, Seoul, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Lynn, MA, and Norwich, CT.