More than 25 years after picking up a can, Miami graffiti writer and muralist Disem has landed his first museum exhibition. Who Authorized This? is on view at Wynwood’s Museum of Graffiti through November 15, bringing together previously unseen portraits of Miami creatives, new paintings, and multimedia installations under one roof for the first time.
The show marks a milestone for an artist who has spent his career painting walls rather than gallery walls, as reported by Miami New Times. Disem describes the exhibition as an introduction to who he is now while still carrying along his past work, a framing that runs through pieces ranging from a towering wooden graffiti sculpture to an interactive ATM installation.
A Career Built on Miami Landmarks
Disem grew up surrounded by creativity — his parents met at art school — and he was introduced to graffiti culture by an older cousin while he was still in elementary school, according to the same Miami New Times profile. That early exposure turned into a decades-long body of public work across South Florida, including a portrait of Dwyane Wade in Little Havana, a tribute to José Fernández in Wynwood, and portraits of Gloria and Emilio Estefan displayed over Calle Ocho. He has also painted Pitbull for display on stage at a recent concert.
Despite that track record, Disem still signs his exhibited paintings with his legal name while reserving his graffiti moniker for walls, the outlet notes. He told the publication he has no plans to leave his roots behind. “I’m always going to be a writer, man. Some people go fishing; I paint,” Disem said.
Portraits Years in the Making, and Not for Sale
A centerpiece of the show is a series of portraits Disem began around 2016, capturing Miami artists, musicians, and other creatives who influenced him, including local artist Miss Reds and DJ Oscar G. Those faces won’t be leaving the museum with a buyer, though — Disem says selling his friends’ faces doesn’t feel right, so the portraits are not for sale.
The exhibition’s most labor-intensive piece is a large, three-layered wooden graffiti work that Disem designed, painted, sanded, and assembled himself, incorporating a reclining nude figure within the lettering. Nearby, an ATM installation sits beneath oversized, torn-up $305 bills — a piece popular enough that a line of visitors waiting to interact with it stretched nearly out of the gallery at the opening, per the same account.
Rules, Permission, and Graffiti’s Place in the Art World
Disem told Telemundo that the exhibition raises questions about the origins of laws, cultures, and what is ultimately permissible. That theme dovetails with a broader tension the Miami New Times report identifies as central to the show: the contrast between how graffiti is treated in the art world versus so-called fine art.
It’s a tension the Museum of Graffiti itself has leaned into. Founder Alan Ket has said graffiti has spread globally and won acceptance from the art world, luxury brands, and even governments, according to NPR. The museum has hosted other solo shows from writers making that same leap, including a previous exhibition from JonOne that ran at the venue through June.
Conflicting Accounts of the Grant Behind the Show
Reports differ on exactly which grant helped fund the exhibition. Miami New Times reports that Disem secured an Art Sharks pitch competition grant during the previous year’s Miami Art Week, and that the award let him step away from other work long enough to produce the detailed oil paintings and elaborate installations featured in the show. Community News, however, reports that the exhibition was made possible by an artist grant from Zig-Zag, awarded to Disem as part of the Museum of Graffiti’s 2025 Miami Art Week programming, according to Community News.
Disem isn’t done with this body of work yet. He’s already continuing paintings he couldn’t finish in time for the opening, and he has ambitions for another exhibition down the line, per the Miami New Times report.
Visiting the Exhibition
Who Authorized This? is on view at the Museum of Graffiti, located at 276 NW 26th St. in Wynwood, through November 15. Admission to the museum costs $16.
