TheMadddArtist — Roderice Cardell — will exhibit his pain at West Main Artists Co-op July 19th through Aug. 11th, and he wants everyone to feel it.
“The Sound of Color” will be his first public exhibit, consisting of about 20 works described as “abstract street art.” The work will be open for free public viewing 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. His reception will be from 5-9 p.m. on July 19 during the city of Spartanburg’s monthly ArtWalk.
“I want people to feel my pain through color,” the 30-year-old Moore native said. “I use music to create, to fight depression and anxiety. I want people to know they aren’t alone. I want people to paint through whatever they are going through, to use their emotions to guide them along with the music.”
TheMadddArtist is an abstract expressionist, performance artist, and street artist, who creates two-dimensional works with acrylics, spray paint, pastels and mixed media.
He was inspired to have this exhibit because of his “limited resources and fighting through poverty,” he said and added that he “feels the need to speak up, to be the voice of the people. I want everyone to know we are all connected and our experiences can help each other through life’s obstacles. Colors connect us: They shouldn’t make us different.”
He said it has taken him his entire life to make these works of art. When people see his work, he wants them to “feel hope. They should feel enlightenment. They should feel love. They should experience what it takes to be a fighter in this world.”
The Winthrop University graduate describes himself as a “triple-threat artist that is on a mission to save the world through art. As a rising emerging artists, Roderice has spent his career telling his story of overcoming dyslexia and fighting anxiety using art as an outlet.”
The M.A.D.D.D. in his professional name stands for Making Art Diverse, Daring, and Distinguished.
His creative process usually begins “with random brush strokes of color, or he slings paint onto the canvas to create violent and uncontrolled responses to the music,” according to his promotional material. “The work’s unpredictability creates movement to the rhythm of the music and emotional connection he has with the content of the music. He connects sound to emotion, and he sees colors when he hears the music. The music gives him a sense of direction when he creates.”
Cardell started off as a young ambitious student who suffered from dyslexia and anxiety. Twenty years later while studying at Winthrop University, he branded himself as “a triple threat artist.” But it wasn’t until a near-death experience in 2015 that he dedicated his life to his passion of art.
Cardell was reared by his grandparents, alongside his mother and father who played a role in his creativity. He started producing paintings and capturing art with photography in 2013. He was mainly influence by Michel Basquiat and Ryan King. His style can be best described as abstract subliminal imagery. Cardell wishes to tell stories with his art to help people get through rough times. “It can either mellow you out or hype you up,” he said. He also creates relevant New Age music.
“Nothing is ever planned!” he said. “I guess it takes the fun out of creating. Most of my most recent work has be influenced by taking big risks and finding new combinations that I’ve never done before. It excites me to see my experiments come alive.
“Sometimes I think my paintings have a mind of their own,” he continued. “The way they speak to me while meditating. I listen and the vibrations of the music in the room help me connect to my abilities and allow me to surrender to the canvas and become one with the art. As a musician, everything I create is full circle. When I create, life makes way more sense.
“I want people to see that we all have a voice,” TheMadddArtist said. “Are you willing to listen?”
For more details about TheMadddArtist, find him — Roderice Cardell — online on most major social media outlets @THEMADDDARTIST.