Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

PART 2: To be a giant

Today for “Giants of San Diego,” we’re thrilled to travel to the Black Arts and Culture District in Encanto to meet with Maxx Moses aka Pose2, a graffiti artist and the founder of Graffiti Gardens. 

Upon arrival, he greets us with a hug and leads us into Graffiti Gardens, his studio and community space, where we are welcomed by the sound of jazz, the smell of sage, and the sight of murals, spray paint, and canvases of art. As our eyes dart from artwork to artwork, it’s hard not to find something to linger on. In some ways, that practice of just looking and questioning is similar to how Maxx got started with art. 

Born in Yonkers, New York, Maxx shares that his interest in art came from riding the subways into the city and paying attention to the writings he would see. He knew they were considered dangerous, illegal, and adventurous, yet he was fascinated with the artform, especially in the sense that it made him open his mind and question reality. Even now, these aspects are still elements he includes in his work. 

Another important aspect of his artwork is duality, which has been influenced by residing in San Diego for the last 20 years. Going from the concrete jungle of New York and the East Coast to the constantly accessible horizons of San Diego, Maxx has had to navigate a new rhythm and find the balance between both existences. 

“You see the horizon everywhere, so it has a different effect on your psyche—this openness and feeling of unlimitedness. My artwork is reflecting these dual plains of concrete jungle and then desert, arid openness. I enjoy the balance of both” 

–Maxx Moses on how being in San Diego has influenced his work 

Expanding on those themes, Maxx hopes that when people engage with his work, they can get a sense of that culture that developed him as an artist, but that they also tap into ancient futurism, which he defines as how ancient cultures perceived and connected with time, nature, and the unseen world. 

“They had a deeper connection with nature and the unseen world. I’m really wanting to playfully get that across in my artwork.” 

–Maxx Moses on ancient futurism  

Art as a tool for deeper connection beyond physicality is also clear in Maxx’s work within Graffiti Gardens. What initially started as a studio has blossomed into a community space for events like the BBoy BBQ, jam sessions, Conversations about Nothingness, and Shine Forever, a program where they initiate 21 young people into adulthood by teaching them about emotional regulation, wellness, financial literacy, and global citizenship.  

Overall, Maxx's art, his work at Graffiti Gardens, and the Black Arts and Culture District as a whole, are really working to expose people to new perspectives and connect them with each other.