Josephine Barreiro, also known as J131, is a mixed media and street artist based in Newark, New Jersey. Her colorful paintings use acrylic, oil stick, and spray paint to feature stylized humans and animals against vibrant backgrounds. The foreground and background are often distinguished through a contrast in color or, in the case of her black-and-white work, a variation in pattern and texture. Barreiro’s paintings combine natural, animalistic subject matter with the chaos and vitality of street art. Her work is infused with emotion, utilizing distinct lines and bold colors that reflect her Spanish heritage and urban upbringing. Although they are still images, the vibrancy of her pieces creates an incredible sense of movement and energy, contributing to her themes of spirituality, anxiety, and transformation. Barreiro’s work has been featured in an NYC-ARTS segment on PBS and exhibited in various galleries throughout the United States.
Josephine Barreiro has exhibited at the Fountain Street Fine Arts Gallery, Framingham, MA; Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland, CA; NYC Arts Empire, Pen + Brush Gallery, Wilmer Jennings Gallery, 188 Allen St. Pop Up Gallery, New York, NY; Hall of Fame Gallery- BCC, Bronx, NY; Human Rights Institute Gallery, James Howe Gallery, Union, NJ; Paul Robeson Gallery, City Without Walls, Gallery Aferro, L.I.P.S, Index Art, Newark, NJ; Art 150 Gallery, Distillery Art Gallery, L.I.T.M, Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery, Jersey City, NJ; Valley Arts Gallery, Orange, NJ; West Orange Arts Center, West Orange, NJ; Ben Shahn Gallery, Paterson, NJ; Raritan Valley Community College, Somerville, NJ; Monmouth Museum, Lincroft NJ; The Arts Guild, Rahway, NJ and UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art, Colorado Springs, CO; among other locations.
Here’s a slide show of her work:
