Atomik, proud son of Miami’s art scene, was born Adam Vargas. Growing up in Miami in the 80’s and 90’s, he did his best to get in trouble as a street tagger. He probably never thought he would become internationally known and one day make a living from using spray paint. But that is where he finds himself.
As he told Carlos Frias, on WLRN’s former Sundial show, the Orange Bowl is where he went to games as a kid, so when it was slated to be demolished in 2008, he wanted to honor and commemorate it. Thus was born the first version of his now iconic orange character.
A bit of legal drama is attached to the character as the Miami New Times reported in 2020. Atomik had to change his original design after a Cease and Desist order as it was deemed to resemble the King Orange logo too closely.
We think the changes are for the better: the toothy, cartoonish smile of the orange is much more expressive and has become symbolic of a side of Miami we wish was more abundant: bright and goofy, happy-go-lucky and friendly, but also down-to-earth. Though the image is typically the color of orange, there have been iterations of multiple colors of it right here in Wynwood. The artist also plays with the arrangement of several oranges, the orientation of the orange, the eyes, and the teeth (chipped or gold teeth anyone?).
Atomik (correctly) categorizes his character as street art because it is an image and thus goes beyond a simple graffiti tag, yet the smiling orange retains elements of the tag because it is instantly recognizable as the signature of the artist. Thus his work stands as a symbol and example of a whole movement: the transformation of graffiti to street art and beyond.
Coming and going around Miami (and throughout the world), look out for the smiling orange and if you want to own a piece of iconic street art, visit adamatomik.com. If you would like more insights into Wynwood, its artists, or the street art movement, book a tour with us…
Written by Anna Vamos
