Of Saints and Sinners: In Conversation with Jose ‘Cochise’ Quiles
Boogie fam, it is with great fanfare that I introduce you to our newest interview subject. Cochise – an artist, a lifelong Lower East Sider, and a man with a powerful message.
Cochise recently opened his first solo show at Public Access, Leo Fitzgerald’s new gallery on St. Mark’s Place. The art exhibition was titled, “From Gangs To Grace – Life In The Underworld.” He was kind enough to join us for a conversation about his work. The accompanying photos from the event show attendees like Cochise’s dear friend, and photographer, Clayton Patterson, Filmmaker Ben Solomon, Graffiti writer, Kunle from the IRAK graffiti crew, Tony Valentine from the Superior Ones Club, Rolling 30 Crips, Almighty Black P Stone Nation, Artist Medi Matin. There are also images of some of the art from the show.
Cochise’s street gang was the Satan’s Sinners Nomads. As you will hear in the interview below, he grew up in St. Mark’s Place (coming full circle with his first solo show in his childhood neighborhood). You might recall our piece about the history of St. Mark’s “Hardly A Saint in Sight.” That 2012 title felt true here. Little did I know then, that same year, Cochise would return to St. Marks after serving time for crimes of his past. A changed man, and surely no longer Satan’s Sinner. His outreach to the city’s youth – telling his story through art to deter kids from gang life and street violence – is more akin to a saint than a sinner. Then again, as so aptly sung by one of the greatest lyricist of all time (don’t @me) “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than die with saints.” Apparently, Cochise, Billy Joel and I have more in common than initially thought in this regard.
1993, the Shack (Casita). Photo by Clayton Patterson
Without further ado, Cochise x Bowery Boogie: Saints and Sinners:
(All photos in this article are printed courtesy of Cochise, Leo Fitzpatrick and Clayton Patterson)
As always, ah, New York. My stunning and gritty, sparkling and filthy, tremendous, transcendent metropolis. You were forged by the keepers of secrets and those secrets I plan to find and reveal, one brick at a time. Bless up.
Recent Stories
Bialystoker Tower Tops out at 30 Stories on East Broadway
One month is an eternity when covering the rising real estate in the neighborhood. In that time since our last follow-up, the tower flanking the Bialystoker Nursing Home finally reached the top. The shadow-casting luxury development at 232 East Broadway reached its thirty-story pinnacle late last week. Token stars-and-stripes affixed to the top. Round Square […]
Patti Smith Rallies with Supporters for Elizabeth Street Garden as City Terminates Lease
The legal and political battle to save Elizabeth Street Garden from redevelopment intensified last week as the city sent the beloved urban oasis in Little Italy a notice terminating its month-to-month lease at the end of October. News of the potential eviction broke over social media in the midst of garden plans to host a […]
Late Photographer Corky Lee Gets Mural Treatment on Doyers Street
There is a new tribute mural in Chinatown that honors the memory of beloved photographer Corky Lee. The nascent Chinatown Mural Project is behind the new artwork, which stretches along a 35-foot wall on Doyers Street, the nerve center of Chinatown. The mural is two-toned – blue and off-white – and meant to resemble “Ming” […]
One Year Later, ‘Fiore Escape’ COVID Sessions Still Captivate
One year after first captivating passersby at Essex and Grand Streets, the free fire escape concert series is back for another. Indeed, musician Jill Fiore will perform anew from the second floor of her Essex Street tenement (above Delancey Car Service). The next so-called “Fiore Escape” show is slated for October 15, as announced on […]
Parks Department Installs Fence at Allen Mall Bathhouse in Response to Nadja Rose Madder
The Parks Department is upping the ante on deterring a homeless artist from painting and gathering at the Allen Street Bathhouse. Earlier this week, the city began assembling an eight-foot chain-link enclosure to (partially) fence in the sidewalk plaza. It is on this spot that transgender artist Nadja Rose Madder has been transforming the brickwork […]
