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His canvas is a 10-story building
Cuban-born artist brushes urban cool onto Midtown property's exterior
The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionKevin Duffy
August 22nd, 2007
Alexi Torres used to paint 20-minute tourist portraits at a five-star Cuban resort, and in his free time large, politically charged artwork.
Now he stands on a swaying metal platform hanging from a Midtown midrise, enduring blisters and heat, to create giant silhouettes.
Torres' goal, and the goal of the property owner, Day Capital Partners, is to turn an aging office building on Peachtree Street into a landmark.
On the building's front, the silhouette of a 100-foot businessman — hands in pockets, head cocked — connotes cool confidence. Two other figures on the side will be reminiscent of the stylish silhouettes used in iPod ads.
The artwork represents the office tenants Day Capital Partners hopes to attract.
It also speaks to the artist's own success, which came about only because five years ago he fell in love with an Atlantan visiting Cuba.
Torres grew up in a small town 60 miles from Havana, raised by his father, a farmer, after the death of his mother when he was 9.
He attended art school, exhibited his paintings and, to make a living, dashed off portraits and idyllic landscapes for tourists, mostly Canadians and Europeans.
While painting at a resort in 2002 he met Victoria Pilcher.
The Warner Robins native was there celebrating her 30th birthday, having taken a roundabout route to the island nation because of U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba.
On the third day of her trip, Pilcher sprained her ankle. Sitting in a wheelchair at the resort, she struck up a conversation in Spanish with Torres, who'd never spoken to an American before. His ambition and sincerity impressed her.
"He didn't fit in in Cuba," she recalled. "It was like meeting a pure artist from 600 years ago. I was not afraid to believe in him."
The English teacher made nine more quick trips to Cuba, flying directly from the U.S. using a medical visa to distribute supplies as a volunteer worker. In October 2003, Torres boarded a flight for the first time, leaving Cuba for Miami on a fiance visa and carrying only a knapsack and dozens of his rolled canvases.
The couple wed at the Coral Gables courthouse the day after he arrived in the United States, then headed to Atlanta.
In the spring they visited Las Vegas, where Torres saw elaborate murals and decided he could do that. Thus was born his business, Buckhead Murals.
Early customer
One of Torres' early customers was Joseph Wilen, a founder of Monkey Joe's, a chain of indoor inflatable playgrounds, who wanted cartoon characters painted on the walls.
Wilen and Robert Day also own Day Capital Partners, which last year bought the 42-year-old office building at 1447 Peachtree St.
The 10-story property was half empty, a "tired and worn out" relic in an artsy, affluent area, and the rents reflected that, Day said.
What could be done to exploit its prominent location between the High Museum of Art and the Savannah College of Art and Design, and make it more profitable?
Day Capital Partners hired Rees Associates-Atlanta to come up with a plan. Rees designed lighted gateways to attract passersby. But to draw attention from afar, something else was needed.
The owners and architect Robert Macri decided silhouettes of young professionals would communicate the hip look they were after.
"I was really shocked and pleased they went for it," Macri said. "They understood it could be a very powerful thing."
The images are based on American artist Robert Longo's famous black-and-white drawings of figures in motion. To go with the look, the building was given a name: Silhouette.
Impressed with Torres' work at Monkey Joe's, Day Capital Partners hired him to carry out the plan for "something north of $75,000," Wilen said.
Big scale, big impact
The project aligns with Torres' belief that "the way to impact people and impact society, it has to be big scale."
Torres uses a rendering to guide his brushwork. He works from early morning until dark, taking a few hours off at midday to escape the heat.
The discomfort of toiling in the sweltering city motivates him. "I want to sacrifice myself. That feeds my soul," he said. "I have to go through every inch of that mural."
At the Buckhead townhouse he shares with his wife and her daughter, Lili, Torres' large canvases are everywhere.
The paintings done in Cuba for his countrymen, not tourists, address that country's ills. One canvas about the decrepit state of Cuban health care shows a padlock and bars made of pills.
His paintings executed in America are different, focusing on beauty, not politics. Systemic failure is no longer a concern; individual achievement is.
Ascending the Silhouette building puts Torres closer to his dreams.
"I came here to fight for myself," he said. "This is just the beginning."
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