Eme Freethinker

Jesús Cruz Artiles (born 11 September 1979), known professionally as Eme Freethinker,[a] is a Dominican-born street artist based in Berlin, Germany. Described as an artivist,[2] his work primarily consists of graffiti commenting on social and political events.

Jesús Cruz Artiles was born in the Dominican Republic[3] on 11 September 1979.[4] In his hometown of Santo Domingo, he witnessed an extrajudicial killing by police as a teenager. This experience deeply affected him emotionally and likely influenced his art to incorporate themes of social struggle.[5]

Following George Floyd's murder by police in May 2020, which reminded him of the killing he had seen before, Eme Freethinker dedicated a mural to Floyd in Berlin's Mauerpark.[6] The mural, painted on one of the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, is a portrait of Floyd alongside the words "I can't breathe" which serves as a memorial to him.[3] He further painted portraits of other famous Black Americans there, including Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Angela Davis, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Prince.[7]

Freethinker, who is based in Berlin, had previously painted on the wall satirical murals of the 2020 toilet paper shortage featuring Gollum.[8][9] Another work depicts Chinese president Xi Jinping and American president Donald Trump kissing each other in facemasks, satirizing China–United States relations during the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he created an anti-war wall mural depicting a Ukrainian and Russian child embracing one another.[11] A month later, he created a mural parodying the Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ In this pseudonym, the forename is Eme and the surname is Freethinker.[1]

References

  1. ^ Saber 2023, p. 1174.
  2. ^ Hoefel & Severo 2022, pp. 13–14.
  3. ^ a b Schmitz, Rob (8 June 2020). "In Germany, George Floyd's Death Sparks Protests — And Artwork That Honors His Life". NPR. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  4. ^ Artiles, Jesús Cruz [@eme_freethinker]; (11 September 1979). "Another Round around the clock,HBD to me 😜 Thinking Freely since 1979". Archived from the original on 3 March 2026 – via Instagram.
  5. ^ "Aquí estoy - Eme Freethinker: un homenaje a George Floyd". Deutsche Welle (in Spanish). 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  6. ^ Lang, Cady (25 May 2022). "What the Artists Behind George Floyd Murals Around the World Want Us to Remember". Time. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  7. ^ Haider, Arwa (14 December 2020). "The street art that expressed the world's pain". BBC News. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  8. ^ Suri, Charu (1 May 2020). "Street Art Confronts the Pandemic". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  9. ^ Mitman, Tyson (18 May 2020). "Coronavirus murals: inside the world of pandemic-inspired street art". The Conversation. doi:10.64628/AB.udtjch357. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  10. ^ Hoefel & Severo 2022, pp. 11–12.
  11. ^ "The Street Art Coloring the World Yellow and Blue in a Plea for Peace". Elle Decor. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  12. ^ Gomez, Shirley (30 March 2022). "Berlin-based Dominican artist Jesus Cruz Artiles paints a mural depicting Will Smith's Oscars slap". ¡Hola!. Retrieved 3 March 2026.

Bibliography

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