Dominican-born artist, Sócrates Márquez, was living in the Bronx in 2006 when the urge of creativity came over him. The gestating appetite to paint commenced with casual episodes of coloring the walls of his apartment as a therapeutic after-work session, and later developed into a serious art practice transferred onto canvases.

At the time Márquez had no idea what he was onto, he just knew that he had to paint.

“I knew I had to do it, I felt it,” explained Márquez regarding the venture into his artistic practice. He came to follow his passion without consulting books or scanning art theory for clues. To him, the entire endeavor was about switching off, relaxing, and finding a place that solely belonged to him.

“When I came here, I realized New York is everything,” said the Harlem-based artist, “to me, the city is about movement, it is almost musical.”

Manhattan’s pulse has greatly inspired Márquez’s art. Gotham’s restlessness and perpetual vibration reside in all of his artworks. The paintings need no explanation since the tumultuous constellations of brushstrokes and colors speak for themselves.

However, there are tenets to his style that appear strangely familiar.

“I have been told that some of my things look like Jackson Pollock’s,” laughs Márquez, “but when I did those works I really had no idea who he was.”

The resemblance to Pollock might be ever-present, but the works still differ as Márquez adds his stylistic twist – an array of bubbles – to most of his paintings.  He has been incorporating these light, transparent, round shapes since the beginning of his practice, in addition to some unusual materials such as corn and wheat flour which when added mirror a “cracking” on the surface of the canvas.

Yet, this week Márquez brings a new string of paintings to the Bowery, a few beloved oldies and a noble project to Parasol with an important theme in mind, water.

“Only one percent of the globe has edible water,” explains Shannon Curtin, the show’s curator, “we have our own organization to deliver water to poor areas or places where you cannot have access to it.”

A few years ago Márquez teamed up with a few friends and started the Clean Water initiative that helps impoverished areas around the world gain access to fresh drinking water.

“I remember when we installed a well in Tanzania,” reminisces Márquez, “I cried in my joy.”

This week is an excellent opportunity to savor the visual feast Márquez served up with Parasol Projects, whilst engaging in philanthropy. 10% of every painting sold will go to the Clean Water Foundation. So scoop up a painting and help to ensure someone’s access to clean drinking water.

213 Bowery / October 12-14, 2018 | 12 – 6 pm

Click here to book with Parasol Projects and view our previous, current and upcoming pop-ups.