I’ve been following Ruben Cedeno aka ANRK’s work for almost two years now. He seemed like this elusive and out-of-reach artist that keeps his life off the grid. I started learning more about him through the local fashion brand DEAD SINCE, as he is part of the crew and also designed some of their shirts. When we opened ChicpeaJC HQ, he reached out to donate one of his pieces. I was so excited to meet him finally but did not know what to expect.
When he came to the office, we instantly connected. He is such a warm and nice guy (he probably doesn’t want me to share that)! A few weeks later, he invited me to a gallery in the Heights to see his work and chat. Ruben is a veteran, and a lot of his work is inspired by his experience in the military. He has an amazing story.
What is your name?
My name is Ruben Cedeno.
What’s your artist name?
ANRK.
Why is it “ANRK?”
This is probably the geekiest explanation – my friends and I, back in high school, used to play this card game and one of the cards was called Anarch Revolt, which was an action against the system. I liked the concept and thought it was pretty cool. It kind of stuck with me. I was using it for everything like my AOL Instant Messenger my email. It even stuck until I went to the military – it followed me over there.
And how long have you been doing art?
Since I was five years old.
How did you start?
My father was an artist, and he molded me to be an artist. I had no chance. Any other kid at five years old would be watching Sesame Street. My dad would come in the room, change the channel, and put on Bob Ross. I had no chance to be anything other than an artist, and I was pretty good at it even when I was young. As I grew up, it was more drawing than anything. Kids were paying me $10 to draw them little comics, and I would blow it up on a big piece of paper exactly the same. I was known as that kid, like, “If you want a drawing made, he’ll draw it for you, whatever size you want.” From there, I started painting a lot, and my dad taught me how to oil paint, which is really the hardest kind of paint as opposed to acrylic, for me at least. I just dove in there very young and, once I got to my teen years, I kind of fell off of it and stayed away from it. I wanted to do something different. So I joined the military and didn’t do any art whatsoever for about eight years. Once I retired out of the military, I finally got back into it. I had the time, and I had the motivation.
How long was this, when you got out of the military?
I got out in 2010.
So you’ve been doing art for the past six years. How would you define your style of art?
It’s really hard to define. Some people have considered it to be pop-ish, but I don’t even see it that way.
It’s like dark pop-ish.
Yeah, I guess you can say that. It’s a very comic-like, cartoon-ish style. I use a lot of dark strokes and outlines, so when people see my art, they immediately identify it with that.
It seems like there’s a theme around death in your artwork. Can you elaborate on that?
I have this fascination with the idea of life and death, and a lot of it stems from a lot of my past near-death experiences in the military. It’s always been something on my mind since then. It’s been a therapy for me to paint these things that are basically in my head all the time. It’s really helped me, as opposed to other people I know that I served with who don’t have that outlet. They don’t have anything they could really let it out on. I feel very fortunate that I have this as a tool to relieve my stress and relieve things that are kind of bottled up inside me.
What did you do in the military, if you don’t mind me asking?
I was attached to a 168 CAB in their infantry unit, and I was a Bradley fighting vehicle mechanic/recovery specialist. Other than just being an all-around mechanic, we were also out recovering vehicles that were destroyed. I was overseas twice – the first time, I was in Baqubah (Iraq), and the second time, I was in Baghdad.
Do you feel that part of your art expression comes from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder?
Yeah, exactly! You hit it right on the dot. I’ve been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, along with Traumatic Brain Injury from concussions that I’ve endured through combat. PTSD is one of those very controversial things not a lot of people are educated about. A lot of people, when they hear it, assume it’s a very big deal, and yes, it is, but some people deal with it a lot better than others and some worse than others. Everyone has a level of severity; mine would be categorized as mild PTSD. I’m somebody that has a found a way to deal with it in a productive way that works for me. I’m not saying I use PTSD to paint, but in a way, the PTSD in me is released when I paint, and it helps me cope with my anxiety disorders in ways no prescription medicine can.
Are you from Jersey City?
I was raised here. I was born in Manhattan and came here when I was one or two years old. I’ve lived on Jewett Avenue by West Side Avenue, and I lived there for basically half of my life. From there, around twelve years old, we moved to Ecuador because my dad lost his job. His brother offered him a spot in the family business, so we went there out on a whim. I didn’t really know Spanish that well. We went out there, and it was a huge culture shock for me. We went from being super privileged to going straight down to the bottom. We went to Ecuador, and it was just poverty. I was there for four years, and then we finally moved back to Jersey City. We’ve been here ever since.
How do you feel Jersey City has changed over the years?
It’s changed a lot. If I think back to when I was here before Ecuador, it’s changed a lot socially. I feel that there’s a lot more tension between the races. That’s all of America, really or maybe I’m just noticing it now. Jersey City in general, development-wise, is looking a lot nicer than it used to, Downtown especially. People that are home grown here aren’t really happy with gentrification and all that. I mean, there are good points and bad points about it. You just hope that stuff doesn’t affect you while living here. I live in the Heights, and I’m pretty happy here. I don’t feel that effect – yet. I do see new faces.
So what is your connection with Dead Since?
I guess you can say I am one of the creative elements behind Dead Since. Dead Since was created by Alaska, and we knew each other from a prior job where we used to work together. When he started Dead Since, he got all the elements together, and it wasn’t even planned. It was something that just happened! It just went from helping to now having all of us involved. He put together this voltron of streetwear brand that actually works farther than just our hometown. We’re pretty proud of it.
Awesome. And you do some of the artwork?
I do some of the artwork, not all of it. A lot of the ideas stem from Alaska and the guys. They come up with stuff, and sometimes they can’t graphically put it to life, and that’s where I come in.
It’s a team effort.
Exactly.
I love it. Do you have a favorite Jersey City hangout spot?
I don’t really get out much. When I do, I tend to stay to the Heights. I like to walk home drunk rather than driving or taking an Uber. We like to go to The Corkscrew on Congress St. every now and then. It’s really evolved from what it used to be. I’ve had a lot of fun in Porta and LITM.
Great! When I first heard about you, I think it was through Andy and Alaska. I thought you were an artist that lived in the basement who I’d never see. I had no idea what you looked like. Then I met you at ChicpeaJC HQ, and you were the sweetest. Do you create that kind of image and is that an image you want to keep?
ANRK, to me, is my second life. It’s my alter ego, the artist I want to be. I don’t want to be a socialite; I don’t want to be famous. I want to make stuff, and if you like it, you like it. If you don’t, you don’t. I’m not going to hold it against you. I could very well make paintings about Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn, but I’m not going to be happy with it. I want to make what I want to make.
Do you sell your artwork?
Definitely! Anytime I do a show. I’ve done about five shows already and, at every show, they’re all for sale. People contact me privately through different channels. It’s kind of underground in a way because it’s word of mouth and certain collectors like to keep their privacy.
You have cool stuff!
So you made a drawing of me and sent me a photo. This is a really old photo of me!
Not for nothing, but it’s one of my favorite photos of you.
This is one of my first fashion shoots I did two years ago.
I made it at work! I literally made it at my job.
This is awesome; I love it! Now let’s take a look at your work
This one’s called “Equal Opportunity.” It’s based on a picture I saw a long time ago. This bullfighter in Spain made a mistake when turning and tripped backward, and the bull just caught him at the right moment and stuck his horn right underneath his chin and out his mouth. I call it “Equal Opportunity” because, yes they’re torturing the bull, but every now and then, you’ll see some justice.
This one doesn’t really have a name.
This one’s kind of religious. Why does she not have a mouth?
I didn’t feel it. I didn’t think a mouth was necessary. There’s no reason behind it, no symbolism. I felt like the eyes made the picture, just like I didn’t need to fill in the outline of her dress.
This one’s called “For The Workforce.” I have different series of flags that I make every art show, all reversed (ATTACK FORWARD). In the US ARMY, the flag is worn on the right shoulder, and wearing it backward gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. This painting, in particular, is about the daily American that puts their blood, sweat, and tears into their work. It’s my homage to them.
Keep up with ANRK and check out some more of his work below!
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